Don't Need a Hero
by Carolinastorm
Summary: AU Kiba is a K9 Officer working in the city and his new neighbor is driving him crazy. A case involving kids being kidnapped and sold on the black market is also taking place in the background. It's more about the love story though but the other characters make appearances. There will be smut so be warned, and angst. I OWN NOTHING! All characters except OC are Masashi Kishimoto's.
1. Disclaimer

ALSO I OWN NOTHING for this entire story! All characters (except OC) are Masashi Kishimoto's and belong to the Naruto franchise. No harm intended and no copy-write intended. Just thought it was an interesting story line. Most of my writing is inspired by music so if you ever wanna know what playlist I listen to just hit me up.


	2. Chapter 1

Kiba sighed entering his apartment. Akamaru whined next to him and he patted his K9 partners head lovingly. They had been together long before he became a K9 officer. Due to his mother being a trainer of the K9 officers and in his sister's case an officer, akamaru was trained when Kiba was younger and Kiba had been able to keep him when he became a cop and akamaru passed the test. He had spent his whole life surrounded by dogs and he felt like akamaru was family and he was connected deeply with his pup but he could squash the loneliness that had crept into his heart as of late. He wanted to have a conversation with someone. He wanted someone to come home to which was crazy. He had a playboy reputation because he was known to flirt with ladies but he was a gentleman to the core so he never really brought them home. Of course he broke down occasionally and fulfilled his needs for a few nights but he wasn't really one to commit to anything outside of his job. He usually like the solidarity but recently his loneliness had settled into a sort of depression that weighed on him. To make up for it he was working double shifts and overtime to keep himself from thinking about it. At least that was until today. Now he was on medical leave. He studied the cast on arm. He had never broken a bone or had a concussion until yesterday. He had also never been shot until yesterday. Thankfully he was on enough medication to keep the stinging out of his shoulder. The bullet had missed everything important and he was thankful but the double whammy was a bitch. It all happened in slow motion. He chased after some punk out onto the fire escape when the guy ran as they tried to arrest him. The guy ran up the stairs and when Kiba went to follow the guy turned and shot him in the shoulder causing him to fall back down the stairs. As he was falling back down the stairs he tried to catch himself but broke his arm in the process and then he hit his head and knocked himself out. Had they been on the ground akamaru would have been able to give chase but Kiba had told him to wait in the apartment as he went after the guy on the escape because there wouldn't be enough room for both him and his K9 to maneuver safely. Thankfully his human partner Shino was at the top waiting for the guy and took him into custody. He wasn't sure what else happened because he woke up in the hospital attached to wires with akamaru laying in the corner and Shino asleep in the chair. Kiba placed everything down on the counter of his kitchen and walked to the bathroom. He studied his face in the mirror. He looked rough. He sported one black eye and a busted cheek and lip. He peeled his shirt off gently so he could make sure the bandage on his shoulder was doing okay. He wanted to take a shower but settled for washing his hair and lower body parts without getting completely into the shower and then shaving. He had grown scruff and it was itching. The clean shaved look made his boyish charm a little more effective because it made him look younger than his 25 years. He heard the knocking on his door and threw on pants before going to answer it. He wasn't going to wear a shift until he absolutely had to because it was a pain in the ass to get on.

He opened the door to his old police academy team member, who was one of the girls he grew up with. She was another sister as far as he was concerned.

"I heard you were shot. I brought food." Hinata said shyly. She wasn't nearly as shy as she was back then. She had married a guy from their academy days and he was good for her.

"Come on in." He said walking into the kitchen. She followed placing an enormous amount of food on the counter as she did.

"The kids made cookies for you. Himawari's are the heart shaped ones and Boruto made the stars. They wanted to come but the last thing you need is Boruto running around and a worried Himawari trying to climb all over you to make sure 'uncle Kiba is okay.' She wants to be a doctor these days." Hinata said with a tender smile for her kids. "How are you?" Her pale eyes looked at him wanting the truth.

He smiled. "I feel as bad as I look. I honestly will probably eat, take 'maru out, and then sleep."

"Want me to take him out? It's getting cold early this year."

"Nah" he replied shaking his head slightly. "I've got it. The longer I wait the more time I have to sleep before he needs to go again and after dinner I like to take a mini walk to catch some fresh air."

"Okay I'm gonna go then, call us if you need anything Kiba, I mean it. Naruto is just as worried as I am and if he wasn't on shift he'd be here with me."

"Thanks Hinata but I'm fine." Kiba replied hugging her and helping her with her jacket on her way out.

After she left he scarfed down food and then got warm clothes on to take akamaru out. "Come on buddy, nighttime walk is gonna be slower tonight."

As Kiba stepped out of the apartment he bumped into a woman carrying a bag of groceries. He'd never seen her before and figured she was the new tenant that lived above him. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He said flashing a smile as he caught her around the waist to keep her from falling back.

She stepped out of his embrace after a second of looking into his eyes and then glared at him.

"You should really watch where you're going." She said with ice in her tone.

"Like I said I'm sorry. Let me help you." He said extending his arms to try to take one of the bags from her.

"No!" She said harshly. "I thought they didn't let big dogs live here." She said eyeing Akamaru.

"Well he doesn't exactly fall into that category, he's different." Kiba said.

"Really because he looks like a pretty big dog to me..." She said sarcastically misunderstanding his version of different.

"Ma'am he's an officer of the law. He's not just a big dog, he's a K9 officer." Kiba said getting frustrated.

He was not in the mood and she was infuriating. She was also hot. He had noticed her body when he had grabbed her waist to stop her from falling. She had gorgeous deep green eyes, and dark brown hair that contrasted nicely with them and fell in loose curls down her shoulders and back. She was a little bigger and curvier but he liked a woman who was more than skin and bones. He liked a soft place to land so to speak. He realized she was still glaring at him and he spoke again. "Look I said I'm sorry. I'm going to go now. By the way I live right there" he said pointing to his apartment door, "and I offer the same thing to all my neighbors, if you need anything let me know. I work odd hours but I try to be quiet when I come in." With that he set off down the stairs in an annoyed state and began his walk with akamaru. Seriously, who does she think she is? He thought to himself.


	3. Chapter 2

As he walked away she muttered, "Some cop, you look like a thug." Kate wasn't trying to be mean on purpose. She had a horrible day and bumping into Mr. Hottie Pants when she was already angry at men in general just sent her over the edge. Even bruised and beaten, she'd felt a spark of attraction. Of course it didn't help that it had been over a year since she'd been with a man and today her emotions were everywhere due to an argument with her ex who miraculously showed up out of the blue after 7 years. She hated the man and he was making her life a living hell right now. She walked up to her apartment checking the time. It was past 6 and she hadn't had dinner ready yet. She sighed as she pushed into the apartment and was greeted by her youngest brother Nathan.

"Hey Katie." He said smiling. Nathan was a level headed 17 year old in his last year of high school being the youngest of 5 siblings he was the quietest of the boys but also the most spoiled. Thankfully spoiled in a good way and their mother had ingrained in all of them a hard working characteristic and even though he knew how loved he was, he was still top of his class and a star baseball player for his school. She ruffled his hair and pulled him in for a hug as she heard the thundering steps of Oliver come flying into the room. "Mooooom!" He shouted flinging himself at her for a full body hug. Nathan had grabbed the groceries from her thankfully otherwise they would be all over the floor. She hugged the boy tightly and inhaled her son's scent. It was always calming, and he was always able to ground her no matter how frustrated, angry, or tired she was. At 7 years old he was in the second grade this year and he had already had a stressful few months. His dark brown hair was always in his eyes. She was glad she looked more like her than his father. He had her family's trade mark green eyes and dark hair. However he was naturally tanned like his father was. She was pale enough to be see through and all she ever did was burn in the sun. When she was younger seeing her mother struggle to be a single mom to five kids had been the reason she swore she would never have kids but now that she had Oliver she wouldn't trade him for anything.

"How was work?" her brother asked as he re-entered the room.

"It was okay, you know, it was work." She never told her brothers the truth even when she was going through something she always told them things were great.

"I made us sandwiches for dinner since you were running a little late and Oli was getting hungry." He said as he grabbed his letterman jacket from the hook next to the door and his keys off the counter.

"I'm so sorry I was late, I'll make sure to slip some extra funds into your check this week." She said feeling miserable about not being there for her kid.

"Oli's homework is done, but I couldn't wrestle him into a bath, I had some homework to do so I got sidetracked, sorry." Nate said as he started to leave.

"Nate, you know me, I appreciate everything you're doing for me. I love you and there's no need to apologize, you're already doing more than you have to." She said pulling him into another hug.

"Love you too sis." He said squeezing her. "I'll see you tomorrow when you get home. I have a meeting after school with the baseball coach but I'll pick Oli up as soon as I can from the after school program."

"Thanks again bro." She said closing the door behind him and locking it. She leaned on it sighing again. She had worked late tonight to finish the project she needed to complete by the end of the week. Her boss had been incredibly helpful and she was glad about that. Her boss was the only person who really knew Kate's whole life story and they had developed a good friendship in the year and a half that she had been working with the woman. Her boss, Ino, had run a florist shop almost her whole life but had decided a few years ago to make it into a party planning operation. Ino did flowers, and her husband did a lot of the designs because he was an amazing artist even though he also worked full time as a police officer. She baked cakes and helped with designs whenever Ino's husband, Sai, wasn't able to help. She did the easy stuff like table placements and seating cards while he did the major stuff like invitations and remember the dates. She got Oliver's bath started and then placed all the groceries away. She then realized she never heard the sound of her brother's tattered car leaving with its loud ticking engine and she checked outside to see him chatting with the cop who had bumped into her earlier. Some of her frustration returned when she realized they were having a good conversation and she saw the excitement on her brother's face. Oh no, she thought, Nate is not going to get it in his head to be a cop. She grabbed her phone and called him.

"I didn't hear your car leave, and I saw it was still here. Everything okay?" She asked trying to act like she wasn't spying on him.

He looked up and smiled at her when he spotted her in the window. She backed away. "You know I'm almost an adult right?" He asked laughing at her. "I'm just talking to your neighbor about his dog and his work. It's some pretty interesting stuff."

"Nate it's getting late and mom will have my head if you don't hurry home. And you're destined for better things than some street cop, so stop that thought right now." She said with a huff. "Please head home. I don't even know that guy."

"Alright mom," He said sarcastically. "I'm heading out now, if you need to watch me then do what you need to."

She hung up the phone watching him and then went and finished helping Oli take his bath and wash his hair.


	4. Chapter 3

Kiba had met the kid coming out of his building and realized he'd never seen this kid before either. He recognized the green eyes from his neighbor earlier and assumed he lived there too. Although he was almost certain that lady had not been old enough to have a kid who looked to be almost an adult. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the teen complimented Akamaru.

"Cool dog man," The teen said smiling at him.

"Thanks," Kiba said.

"Not to be rude but you look like you've been through hell." The teen laughed at this.

"A little bit," Kiba found himself smiling at the boy. "Work is like that sometimes."

"Oh yeah? If you don't mind me asking what do you do?"

"I'm a K9 cop for the city."

"Oh man, that's awesome! I'm Nate by the way. My sister lives here." Nate extended his hand.

"Kiba Inuzuka, and this here is Akamaru." Kiba said shaking the teen's hand.

For the next 10 minutes they talked about what being a cop was like and Kiba found himself liking the teen a whole lot more than he like Nate's sister. The kid was well mannered and genuinely interested in Kiba's line of work. When he received a call he saw the kid looking up and noticed that his neighbor was standing in the window watching them. After the call ended Nate turned to Kiba, "Sorry about that. She worries a lot. Better get going, it was really nice meeting you Officer Inuzuka."

"Just call me Kiba." He said waving as the kid walked to a beat up car that looked barely legal. Kiba heard it come to life and winced at what sounded like something dying. He knew cars and he knew there was something unhealthy about that one. It wouldn't last much longer. Maybe if the kid came back he'd take a look and see if there was anything he could do to help him out. Kiba shortened his walk with Akamaru because he was starting to feel pain and headed back inside. He looked at the cookies and started munching. He hadn't been home much so he sat down and turned on the television. It wasn't long before he heard pounding from above him and realized that his new neighbor was extremely heavy footed. She was bouncing around like crazy up there, was she dancing? Thank god he hadn't heard it before now because he would have had to have a talk with her a lot sooner. She had been there for about a month though and he hadn't even seen her until today. After was seemed like forever he had finally had enough and decided he needed to confront her. His head was banging and his fuse was short. She had been rude to him today but he was hoping she would at least be polite enough to accept his request that she walk lighter. He heard something crash above him and he stood up. He needed to check to make sure she was okay anyway. The banging had stopped after the loud crash and he was worried she was hurt. He told Akamaru to stay and worked his way up to her apartment. He knocked lightly on the door and when it flew open he didn't see anyone at first until he looked down. There before him stood a small child with his neighbor's green eyes. Figures she'd be married with a kid. He thought.

"How'd you get those bruises?" The kid said studying him.

"I fell down some stairs." Kiba said answering the question.

"Can I sign your cast?" Was the next question and Kiba smiled at the kids straightforwardness.

"Maybe once I get to know you." Kiba said distractedly. "Where's your mom and dad kid? Didn't they ever teach you not to talk to strangers?"

"Mom told me not to talk to strangers, but you're a cop. Cops are the good guys and you have a dog cop too, so you gotta be a good guy." The kid said looking behind Kiba for his dog. Suddenly he heard her voice calling the child's name and the kid's face looked shocked.

"Uh oh," the little boy said as the door was pulled open wider and his neighbor came into full view. He was right, she was totally his type. She was beautiful in sweat pants and her hair tied up in a ponytail. Too bad she was married.

"Oliver! How many times have I told you to never answer the door?" She said looking into her son's eyes.

"But mom," The kid stage whispered, "He's a cop so it's okay."

"No honey, you come get me and I determine whether it's okay, go get in bed, we're going to have another talk about this when I'm done talking to our neighbor." She said pushing him toward his room.

Kiba studied the interaction and noticed there was no ring on her finger. He had a soft spot for single moms because his own mother was a single mom but the woman in front of him turned her eyes on him and he could tell she was annoyed.

"What can I do for you?" She asked with her mouth set in a grim line.

"My name's Kiba Inuzuka, by the way, I didn't introduce myself earlier…" He paused to give her a chance to supply her name but nothing came so he continued. He rubbed his temples as his headache increased. The pain meds were really starting to wear off and he winced at the movement since it moved his shoulder. "I was coming up here to ask you to make sure you were okay, I heard a loud crash."

She huffed out a bitter laugh, "I'm fine thanks, I don't need a hero Mr. Cop, and I'd appreciate it if you stayed away from my brother. He doesn't need someone filling his head with the idea that he can be some street cop okay? He's destined for bigger and better things."

"So cops aren't good enough?" Kiba asked extremely annoyed with her and feeling rage seep into his tone.

"No offence but for my brother no, he's extremely intelligent and he needs to go to college. He needs to do something better than work for the city."

"I went to college, I have a degree, are you saying I'm not smart?"

"I'm sure you are but at the end of the day you're a street cop and he has far too much potential for that." She growled.

"Look, I didn't come up here to argue with you, I'm glad you're okay. But I have a request, could you keep it down in the stomping around up here? I've got a killer headache and as you can see I'm recovering." He said motioning to his body. "I just want some quiet and having you stomp around up here is ruining that."

"I'm sorry I need to walk around my apartment." She said coldly. "I have a 7 year old. He doesn't understand how to walk lightly."

"Yeah well maybe you should teach him something and while you're at it you should teach him not to talk to strangers." He spat out before he could stop himself.

"Leave." She sighed. "And please don't come back." With that she closed the door in his face and Kiba kicked himself for letting her get to him. He was not a rude person but she pushed his buttons. The last sigh had been one of defeat and he felt worse for causing it. He didn't mean to get angry but the pain was making a lot of things hard. He walked back down the stairs feeling more frustrated that he had been rude to her than he had about her stomping around.


	5. Chapter 4

She leaned against the door and felt tears stinging her eyes. Who does he think he is implying she was a bad mother? She pushed her hands against her eyes and took a breath. She already felt like one. For all she knew he wasn't implying anything she just took that jump. He was right, she wasn't going to win any mom of the year awards but she was doing her best these days and with Oliver's father resurfacing she was having a hell of a time getting everything in their lives to be okay. With her shoulders squared and her resolve in place she walked into her son's room to have a conversation about answering the door and about not stomping around. She wasn't a rude person, but her neighbor was pushing all the wrong buttons tonight. After her son was finally settled in she went back to the kitchen to make some meals for her brother to heat up in case they got hungry before she got home tomorrow. She wasn't sure what she was going to do when baseball season started for her brother because she would be losing her babysitter and her tutor for Oliver. Oliver was starting to show signs of being dyslexic and her brother being as smart as he was helped Oliver with it. She had him in a special after school program and it was helping too but he really thrived on the attention he was receiving from Nate and Nate had learned all he could about dyslexia to help Oliver in different learning styles. Nate would be an excellent teacher if he decided to do that. It was on his list. He would be the first of them to go to college and she was excited about it, that's why she really didn't want her neighbor to interfere. He was probably a great guy and maybe he did have a college degree but she wanted more than the working class for her baby brother. She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time, she was doing that a lot lately. It was hard to sit alone at the end of the day. She missed having adult conversations sometimes but her last relationship had ended horribly and her son had took the separation hard. That had been about 18 months ago and her son still missed the guy sometimes but he has slowly forgotten about Mark thankfully. She still thought about him from time to time and she missed having someone but she would never get over the betrayal of him not only having other women in their bed but of him also being married. They had been together for a year and he had shattered her heart and her self confidence in one blow. Not only that but also her sons heart. He was good with Oliver but when she asked if Mark still wanted to see Oliver he told her it was better they not continue any contact because he was married so he couldn't take Oliver to his house. Oliver didn't understand and there was no way to explain that Mark just wasn't the guy they thought he was so she stopped dating altogether. She was lonely sometimes but she usually just ignored it. It was better for Oliver this way. She was tired after the long day at work and she really wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep but her mind was occupied with thoughts of her neighbor and that annoyed her more than anything. He really was handsome. He was tall and muscled with dark hair and naturally tan skin. He had a killer smile with dimples and she wanted to swoon the moment he flashed it at her. His hands were huge and manly and she always admired that in a man, she remembered them on her hips and she shook her head. She needed to think other thoughts. When she finally passed out she was emotionally and physically exhausted.

Kiba had slept like hell but woke up at 6:30am to loud banging from the upstairs apartment. He wanted to scream as he remembered their conversation from last night. On one level he understood but on another he was in a lot of pain and extremely frustrated. He began cursing in his mother's language and talking to himself to calm himself. In his mother's house they spoke Japanese unless there were guests. He completely forgot his shirt as he stomped around his own apartment ready to give his neighbor a piece of his mind. Unfortunately he wasn't paying attention and walked out of his apartment without his keys. It hit him that he was wearing nothing but basketball shorts and his arm sling and that it was freezing in the hall right as the door closed. He placed his throbbing head against the door and wanted to bang his head against it. Instead he counted to 10 and then took a deep breath and counted again. He didn't even notice that she and her son had walked down until she touched his bare shoulder and a fire lit up in him at her touch. He turned around and rested his back on the door as he registered that she had asked him a question.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" He said and her look turned from worry to confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"I said I'm sorry what did you say?" He said again his frustration coming back to him.

"Oh um, sorry did you just speak another language? Because the first time you asked I'm like 100 percent sure that wasn't English. I asked if you were okay."

"Yeah, sorry I speak Japanese as well and occasionally in the morning or when I'm frustrated up it comes out." He said wincing as he tried to move and his shoulder throbbed.

She stared at the gauze on his shoulder and he found himself self-conscious. "You're bleeding." She said, "Let me look at it." She said stepping closer.

"Look, I'm not sure that's a good idea, I can handle this. I just have to figure out how to get back in my house. I gotta knock on Mrs. Scott's door and see if she's awake." He said slowly walking toward the neighbor's door that lived on the same floor as him.

"I know first aid and how to handle bandages on cuts." She replied knocking on Mrs. Scott's door for him.

"Not a cut." Kiba replied shortly.

"Really because it looks like a bandage for a cut to me." She replied hotly.

"Not a cut," Kiba bit his lip to keep from mouthing off at her and reminded himself that it's not every morning someone finds their neighbor in the hall bleeding through gauze. She's probably stressed. She has to be stressed right? No one is that annoying normally.

Mrs. Scott opened her door and studied the pair before she smiled. "I'm glad you guys have finally met, I just knew you two would hit it off. And Kiba dear do put some clothes on. It's indecent to be around the child that way."

"Mrs. Scott, I apologize, I accidently locked myself out of my apartment, do you still have my spare?" Mrs. Scott looked back and forth between him and his neighbor and smiled brightly like they had been together all night. Oh no, he thought, oh hell no.

"I do dearie," She said reaching inside for his key. He unlocked his apartment and grabbed his keys before returning the spare to his older neighbor.

He went to go back to his apartment but his other neighbors were in his way.

Kate studied the infuriating man in front of her and wanted to scream. She was trying to help him with redoing his bandage since he would obviously have a hard time doing it with his broken arm. She shook her head and decided it would be better if she just let him be miserable. He probably had a girlfriend that could do it for him anyway. Guys like that always had a girl waiting for them on the sidelines and with a body like his he probably had several. "I was just trying to help you, but forget it. We're running late anyway." She grabbed Oliver's hand as they left him standing there.


	6. Chapter 5

"Mom is the cop gonna die?" Oliver said slowly.

"No baby, he's just hurt from his accident that's all." She replied.

After dropping Oliver off at school she rushed to work and only ended up being 10 minutes late but her boss didn't really care.

"Morning Kate." Ino said cheerily from behind a floral arrangement. "You look stressed, everything okay?"

"Yes," She automatically said. "Well no. I met one of my neighbors last night and he's a bear. He's really annoying and he makes me want to slap him. Too Tony called again last night on my way home."

"Your neighbors is hot isn't he?" Ino smiled knowingly. "I can just tell by how you said it. You think he's hot. And what did Oli's sperm donor want this time?"

"Tony wants to meet Oliver. I don't want him to. Tony left us when he found out I was pregnant. I have no clue what he's been doing with his life, or if he's a suitable guy to be around a child. He was pretty much a loser when I met him. We weren't together but more than a few months. He told me he wanted nothing to do with me and 'the brat' when he left. I'm not even sure how he found me."

"Honey, you don't have to rush this. If Tony steps up to the plate and proves himself then give him a chance but until he does that you don't have to do anything. I'll ask Sai about the laws when I get home tonight and make sure there's nothing too crazy that will be sprung on you."

"Last night Tony threatened to take me to court to prove paternity and get custody of Oliver. I don't have the money to fight him on that. I'm a single mom with nothing going for her. I'm not educated, or rich." Kate replied beginning to feel hopeless.

"Look Friday night me and Sai are going out with our friends. Come with us. You need a break. Have someone watch Oliver overnight and let us treat you to a good time. Sai and I kind of owe you, you've been a business saver lately."

"I don't know if I can get anyone to watch him." Kate said trying to get out of the outing.

"Don't give me that." Ino said sternly.

After that they worked together chatting the whole time and by the time she got home she was in a better mood and there had been no more contact from Oliver's dad which made her feel better. Unfortunately her ex had money. She was never sure how he got his money or what he did but he had enough to take her to court and get custody and that frightened her.

By Friday night she was ready to go out. Oliver had gotten in trouble at school several times and had been moody at home. She wasn't sure what was up but she needed a break. She took Ino up on her offer and her mother was able to keep Oliver for the whole weekend which sounded like heaven to her. A whole weekend alone. It had been so long since she'd had alone time. Maybe she would have a one night stand to get her tensions out. She met them at the bar where they were supposed to eat dinner and smiled when she saw Ino and Sai but realized there were with a large group and suddenly felt shy. As she went to leave she turned quickly and walked right into a hard chest. Her hands landed flat against the muscles under the shirt and his hands went to her hips. Her eyes shot up as an apology left her mouth and she gasped. It was none other than Officer Kiba Inuzuka.

"Are you following me?" She fumed and lashed out from embarrassment and shock. "Why are you everywhere?"

Kiba gaped at her. She had some nerve. "Hey lady, I'm here to meet my friends, I don't even know your name, and how would I know you were going to be here? Trust me, I'm not following you." He shot back. She still had her hands on his chest and he realized that he was still holding her hips in his hands. He fought the urge to let his hands wander. He broke from his thoughts and saw Ino approached and released her. The last thing he needed was Ino playing match maker with this woman and him. He honestly had no clue why she was even here. It wasn't a popular spot in town but it was close to where everyone grew up so they had kept the tradition of coming here for dinner at least 2 times a month. He smiled at Ino as she approached closer and put room between him and his neighbor as he walked around her.

"Kiba!" Ino squeaked out as he wrapped her up in a hug. "I see you met my friend, Kate."

"Your friend…?" Kiba replied looking around and watched as Ino linked arms with his neighbor. Great, he thought sarcastically, of course they're friends. "Ah. I see."

"Kate this is Kiba Inuzuka, he works with a lot of the guys from our group and we grew up together. He's a great guy." Ino was talking and Kiba could see the wheels turning in her head. Her matchmaker side was coming out and he was starting to dread the night to come. "Kiba this is Kate Evans, I saw you guys talking, and do you two know each other?" Ino was smiling widely.

"We're neighbors," Kate huffed out laugh.

"He's that neighbor isn't he?" Ino started to laugh. "Wow. I was right."

Kiba watched as Kate turned bright red with embarrassment. They had talked about him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba asked.

"Nothing Kiba, calm down and come on. The guys have been dying to ask you about work." Ino said dragging both him and Kate to the table.

"Kiba!" The collective shouted helloes to him and he said his own back.

"So you gonna tell us how your ass managed to get shot?" It was Naruto speaking.

Kiba blushed at the attention. "I wasn't thinking, I was chasing the guy and he turned on me and shot me in the shoulder and let me tell you, it hurts like a bitch. I hurt everything else in the fall down the stairs that getting shot resulted in." Kiba explained. "Now I'm on 3 months of medical leave. How are you guys doing without me? I'm sure everything is shot to hell with me gone." Kiba laughed. "I know I'm the only thing that held that place together."

Kate studied him as he spoke. So it wasn't a cut, it was a gunshot. She shook her head. She found herself getting pulled into the girls conversation and after a while she relaxed sitting next to Kiba and occasionally their thighs or arms would touch and heat would flare up in her but for the most part she ignored him and he did the same thing to her. After the food was devoured it was time for them to move to the club. She was hesitant on this because she had never been to a club but Ino pulled her along and before too long she was drinking with the rest of them. The only one not drinking was Kiba because it wouldn't mix with his pain medication. She had caught a cab to dinner so she didn't have to worry about driving home but she only drank a few and it helped her loosen up. When everyone took to the dance floor she was glad the girls were dancing together but slowly the guys came to join them and she caught a glimpse of Kiba dancing with a girl with blonde hair and she decided to go to the bar to get a water. She watched him as the girl grinded against him and he had his hands all over her.


	7. Chapter 6

After the song ended he looked around and caught her eyes and excused himself from the woman he was dancing with and made his way towards their table.

"Having fun?" He asked.

"Yeah, you don't have to keep me company." She replied. "You could easily take that girl home if you wanted to."

"Nah," he shook his head, "not really my style. I'm not huge into one night stands and trust me that's what she's after. Let her find someone who can give her what she wants."

She studied him, he was nicer than she thought. He had manners which surprised her.

"Wanna dance?" He asked her. "Might as well enjoy it, right? You don't seem like the type to go out often since you have your son at home, so let's enjoy it." He held out his hand and she took a deep breath as she put her hand in his. She was thankful there was still enough liquid courage in her to keep her from tensing up as he led her on the dance floor. He let her dance next to him without putting his hands or body on her. It was nice not to feel pressured. When a different song came on the dance floor got more crowded and he pulled her closer to him to keep them from getting separated. She was approached by a man who placed his hands all over her and grinded grossly against her ass and put his hands in places they don't belong and she felt Kiba pull her away and give the man a warning glare as he pulled her against his body. After that she kept close to him. He eventually placed his hands on her hips and their bodies danced together to the music. She enjoyed the dance and eventually he was behind her and she couldn't stop the goosebumps as his breath brushed against her neck and ear as his body danced against hers from behind. She was incredibly turned on and she really needed to find a guy to release her pent up sexual frustration on. She told him she wanted a break and they walked to where a few of the couples were sitting drinking and she ordered a water. She was no longer tipsy but she felt like she needed something more so while Kiba was talking to the group she slipped out and started dancing again until she found someone that was acceptable and after a few minutes started grinding into him and letting his hands wander her body. She needed this, she needed to feel beautiful even if it was just lust.

Kiba turned to talk to Kate again and realized she wasn't there and immediately worried. He wasn't sure how much she had had to drink and he didn't want her wandering off and getting into trouble. He spotted her on the dance floor with some random guy groping her as they danced. Kiba felt his jaw tense before he forced himself to relax. She was really into it and he felt a ping of unwanted emotion stir in him. He saw the guy whisper in her ear and then start to lead her away from the dance floor and got up to walk to her. There was something about letting her wander off into the night with a stranger that didn't sit well with him. He saw his chance when the two were separated in the crowd and rushed to her, "Come dance again!" He said grabbing her around the waist and steering her away.

"Kiba, I was talking to someone." She said looking around for the other guy but Kiba kept them moving away to a darker area so the guy wouldn't see them.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize that." He said acting clueless. "Come on though, let's dance some more. I'll drive you home tonight so you don't have to get a cab, I mean we're both going to the same place."

"Kiba…you don't have to do that." She said.

"Really it's no problem." He said grabbing her hips and grinding into her body. He was trying incredibly hard not to get an erection because his body wanted her. She pushed into him and placed her hands on his shoulders to grind into him as well. He couldn't stop his hands as they traveled her body. He lost the battle with his body and she ground her hips into his erection. She looked up at him and he was lost in her green eyes. She knew about his body's reaction and she was challenging him. He placed his hands against her butt and ground her lower half into his. He saw her mouth fall open and he knew she was as turned on as he was. She turned in his arms and rocked and swayed against his erection as she ran his hands up her body to cup her breasts. He groaned in her ear and she bit her lip causing him to squeeze his hands as they were holding her breasts. He wanted her. He couldn't deny it. He was glad they were in the darker part of the club because if any of the group saw them they'd be all over them at the next dinner.

She didn't know how to describe the fire burning in her but she knew she wanted him. Her infuriating neighbor had turned her on beyond belief. She turned again in his arms making sure to palm his erection through his pants. She saw his eyes close and his head fall back and she knew he wanted her too. He pulled her close again and they stared at each other until he finally gave in and kissed her. His lips were soft at first but he nipped at her lip until she let his tongue past her own lips. She ran her fingers into his hair as he deepened the kiss and she was lost. When he finally broke the kiss she was panting and the music came back into her world. Woah. She thought. Holy crap, that was intense. He pulled away from her capturing her hand and pulling her towards the table. Ino smiled at them and Kiba announced he was going to give her a ride home since they lived in the same apartment. With that they said their good byes and worked their way outside. He pushed her against the wall outside the club and kissed her heatedly again.

"I'm taking you back to my place unless you tell me now that you don't want me to." He said when he broke away from her.

"Let's go." She said throwing caution to the wind.

The air was practically vibrating as they drove back to the apartment and she felt like she was on edge the whole way. She wanted him, a lot, and that slightly scared her but mostly excited her. When they walked inside he slowed as they reached his door.

"I don't want you to regret this." He started, "How much did you drink?"

"I'm not drunk," she replied "I had two shots and a martini when we first got there. I've been drinking water since then. We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I want this but that doesn't mean you have to give it to me."

"Oh yeah and let some stranger take you home? Not a chance." He said unlocking his door.

She paused, "So you did interfere?"

He looked at her. "Of course I did. You didn't even know that guy."

"I don't even know you. And you don't even know me." She replied losing the heat of the moment. "You don't have to look out for me, I'm a big girl. I thought you wanted me because you wanted me, not because you were on some hero kick."

"I do want you," He said ushering into his apartment. "If you couldn't tell my body was ready to go. I wasn't trying to be some stupid hero. I just didn't want you to get hurt okay?"

"Wow, good one. Thanks for rescuing me from myself." She said bitterly taking her heels off so she could stomp out of there. As she reached the door he put his hand against it not letting her leave.

"Do you think that I could really resist you? You're gorgeous." He said making her breath hitch. "I just thought you had more respect for yourself than some random pick up at a club."

"Well just because one night stands aren't your thing, doesn't mean they aren't mine." She was trying to save face, she was angry at him, but she also really wanted to sleep with him. He was the first guy to tell her she's gorgeous and that alone was enough to make her want him. "I'm gonna go. Don't worry, my integrity is staying intact tonight thanks to you." She stated sarcastically. "Good boy, you did your job."

She left his apartment more sexually frustrated and angry than she had been in a long time.


	8. Chapter 7

Kiba was angry that he had let her walk out. He knew technically them sleeping together was not a good idea. His brain knew that, but his body was screaming at him right now. He had a raging hard on and he would have to use his hand to get rid of it because the memory of her body against his wasn't going anywhere and neither was his hard on. He cursed and went to the bathroom to take care of it. When he reentered the kitchen he fixed food and cursed again, Akamaru whined behind him. "Sorry buddy," Kiba said to his pup, "let's go for a run." Kiba ran for 30 minutes before he was throbbing from pain everywhere and he wanted nothing more than to take his meds and head to bed. As he made his way back his phone lit up and he received group chat messages from his friends joking about seeing him and Kate on the dance floor. He growled, of course they saw. He sent a quick reply to the group stating nothing happened and the responses were more jokes. He shook his head and his phone blared to life because it was Ino calling.

"Hello Ino," Kiba said. She must have just left the club, he could hear the music fading in the background.

"What did you do?" Ino slurred slightly.

"Nothing," He responded.

"Kibaaa," She whined and he pulled the phone away from his ear, "She's a really nice girl. Please tell me you didn't just quickie it and leave. I really like her and I want her to come to more get togethers. She has enough complicated men in her life and she doesn't need you muddying the waters more."

"Ino, nothing happened. I drove her home, we kissed and then we separated for the night." He wasn't exactly lying.

"You made her mad didn't you?" Ino said. How did she always know?

"No," Kiba said shortly.

"That's the only reason I can think of as to why you two aren't shacking up right now. She was definitely ready to sleep with you but she did say that her neighbor was annoying and she wanted to slap him, but she didn't deny that she thought you were hot." Ino giggled at this and he heard Sai talking to her in the background and she muttered an "I know baby, and I love you for it," away from the phone.

"Ino I'm gonna go, have fun with Sai tonight." He said before he hung up. Sometimes he hated that all his friends were happily married or in relationships. They didn't know how lonely it made him feel on nights like this. Usually it didn't bother him but here lately it had and that made him uncomfortable. He had a reason for not liking commitment and even though his friends didn't know it, occasionally he got tired of the playboy jokes. They knew he was a gentleman and they really were just messing with him in a friendly manner but he got annoyed sometimes. His phone continued to buzz but he stayed out of the group chat for the rest of the night.

The rest of the weekend flew by for Kate. She decided to let Oliver stay with her mother in the hopes that his moodiness would go away when he returned home and he'd be in a better mood. When she returned to work the next week it was like nothing had happened between her and Kiba and thankfully if Ino knew anything she had not really said anything when Kate told her nothing had happened she let it rest. They had a major wedding to get ready for and she was excited to be working on cake designs. Sai had dropped by and asked about Kiba but Ino silenced him and he let it drop. He was going to do the intricate painting on the cake after she finished the sides and all the physical parts of the cake. She worked on different parts and every night that week she had been exhausted when she marched up the stairs at the end of the day. Occasionally she met Kiba in the hall but they exchanged nothing more than pleasantries. The weather had gotten colder and she felt bad for him because it had to be hell to get a jacket on and off with a bullet wound in his shoulder. Her anger at their night had pretty much dissipated and she wanted to reach out to him and start over. Her body still burned when she thought about him too much and she realized that he had technically done it because he respected her more than she respected herself. She also thought about him telling her she was gorgeous and she knew it was stupid but she couldn't help it. Hearing it was something she had dreamed someday someone would say to her. It was probably just a line he drops, she thought, but damn it sure felt like he meant it.


	9. Chapter 8

She walked into her house on Friday night expecting to find things like they normally are when she came home on Fridays. Usually her son was excited and bouncing off the walls. Usually all his homework was done and he was ready for movie night. Unfortunately that is not what she walked into this time. Nate greeted her quickly and looked like he was two seconds away from pulling his hair out. "I don't know what's wrong but he refuses to talk to me about it. We were working on his homework when he just broke down and started crying. He has been switching between anger and tears all afternoon. I didn't want to call you because I knew you were working. I'm sorry sis, I can't figure out what's going on."

"Nate, it's okay. I'm sorry bud, go ahead and go, enjoy your Friday night. I'll take care of this, oh and here's your pay for this week. I love you." She hugged him tightly and walked slowly into the living room where there were things thrown all over the place and followed the mess to her son's room. "Oliver?" She asked in a calm voice. "Baby boy, what's up?" She stepped into his room and found him curled in a ball on his bed with tears coming down his face. She approached him and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mom, I don't want to talk about it." He said bravely wiping away his tears. "I know it will make you sad."

"It's okay honey, I want to know if it's making you sad, I can handle a little sadness." She said rubbing his back.

"It's not okay mommy." He said growling at her. Her brother was right, he was definitely swinging between anger and sadness. "I don't want to make you sad."

She watched him as he stood up on his bed and kicked his pillow across the room. She had never seen him take his anger out by hitting things but she figured it must be something really bad if he was pushed to do that. She picked him up and held him tight and he started to cry again. What is going on? Suddenly he pushed her away and walked into the living room and screamed loudly scaring the crap out of her. Was he throwing a tantrum? She watched as he picked up a toy and threw it. As he threw it, it crashed into a lamp pushing it on the floor and shattering it. She grabbed him quickly and took him back to his room. "Honey stop!" She said getting his focus. "What is wrong with you?"

"Mommy I'm sorry." He said switching back to sadness. She was going to call the school. She made him lay down and heard frantic banging on her door. Her neighbors no doubt, waiting to tell her to keep it down. She ignored it for a second while she walked to the kitchen to get a broom to sweep her way through the living room so she didn't cut her foot open. The banging continued loudly and she wanted to curse at whoever was on the other side of it.

"Kate! Open up or I'm coming in!" She heard him on the other side of the door. Kiba. She sighed and cracked the door. He looked at her with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," She said not opening the door further.

"Is there something going on? I heard the crash and the scream." Kiba said squinting at her.

"Everything is okay. Oliver is throwing a tantrum but won't tell me why he's upset." She said quietly.

"Let me talk to him." Kiba offered.

"No, absolutely not." She told him. "We don't need your help!"

Kiba heard the crash and the scream and raced upstairs. Sure they had been ignoring each other but the scream sounded like her kid and he was worried about them. What if someone had forced their way in and was now murdering them? When she didn't answer, his panic rose. When she did answer but wouldn't open up he felt like she was hiding something and his hackles rose. He just wanted to be sure there wasn't someone in the house beating them. He'd seen enough domestic violence cases go bad to walk away without checking on her. "This is going to sound crazy but…" Kiba paused, "There's not anyone else in there with you is there?"

"What?" She looked genuinely confused.

"Look, I'm a cop, I just want to make sure there's not anyone controlling you and beating you in there. Please just let me do my cop thing okay? I just want to do a quick check on you and him."

"Seriously? No." She said trying to shut the door but he stopped her.

"I have had a few really bad experiences with domestic violence cases. Please. For my peace of mind just let me make sure." He hated pleading with people but he really was worried about her.

She sighed deeply and backed up, "Fine, but you get 5 minutes to do your thing and there's a broken lamp on the floor so if you get cut it's your fault and don't bleed all over my house."


	10. Chapter 9

"Noted." Kiba said entering her home. He looked around the area and could see that there were toys and papers strewn all over the place and the broken lamp. He walked to the back, "Oliver it's officer Inuzuka, where you at buddy?"

"I'm in here." He heard a small voice say.

Kiba stopped outside the door to the kid's room. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Yes sir." Oliver sat up and wiped the tears from his face.

"Why you crying buddy?" Kiba asked him.

"I don't want mom to know." He said tearing up again. "But I want a dad. My friend Billy told me that his dad helps him with his homework and maybe I'd be able to read better if my dad was here. Some of the kids make fun of me because I don't know how to read like them."

"Ah, so that's why you're sad and mad?" Kiba asked quietly and walked towards the bed and sat on the edge.

"Yeah because I'm mad that he's not here and I'm sad because I know it makes mom sad when I talk about not having a dad." Oliver's bottom lip quivered. "And there's a dad's day coming up and I'm gonna be the only kid that doesn't have one."

"I'm sure there are other kids that don't have dads there." Kiba said.

"There's not. It's just me. My teacher keeps reminding us to tell our parents about the dad's day but I don't have a dad to tell." One large fat tear rolled down the kid's cheek. Kiba knew what that felt like being raised by a single mother. His dad was an alcoholic who left a few emotional scars on the rest of the family on his way out of their lives. Kiba had been a kid and had a few memories of the man but he'd been told enough to get the gist of what else happened.

"I grew up with just a mom too." Kiba said before he could stop the words. "She loved me a lot but sometimes I was sad that I didn't have a dad."

"You did?" Oliver asked brightening at the idea that he wasn't alone.

"Yeah," Kiba said. "I had trouble reading as a kid too, but I met some really good people who helped me out. Doesn't your uncle Nate help you with your reading?"

"Yeah, he does, but he's not a dad." Oliver said frowning.

"Well I didn't have a dad help me, and I can read now." Kiba said.

"Yeah?" Oliver said smiling again.

"Yeah, if you work really hard, you'll get it, but you can't wreck the house anymore okay? If you feel upset because of the dad thing ask your mom if you can come talk to me, and if you feel angry about the reading thing talk to your mom about it. Okay?" Kiba was smiling at the kid.

"Yeah."

"Promise?" Kiba asked

"Promise." Oliver replied and then stood up on the bed and wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck. Kiba's heart flipped in his chest as the small child hugged him and he hugged back.

Kiba squeezed and then released the kid. "Now let's go help mom clean up."

Kiba heard her footsteps padding away before they left the room and he assumed she had heard everything. He saw her wiping at her eyes as she faced the kitchen sink. She had swept the living room and all the pieces of the broken lamp were gone. He helped Oliver pick up everything and looked at the homework as he picked it up. He noticed some similarities to his own issues when he was a kid but he didn't comment. He still occasionally had a hard time reading but for the most part he was okay.

When Oliver was finally done his mother rushed him into a bath and she asked Kiba to wait for her. He stood there studying the apartment that was set up pretty much the same way as his but with more stuff. Pictures lined every surface and he was studying one of a younger Kate and 4 other guys. She recognized one as a younger Nate but didn't recognize the rest of them.

"I owe you an apology." She said stepping back into the living room.

"You do?" He asked trying to think of why.

"Yes, I'm used to doing this alone so when someone swoops in to help I shut them down quickly. It seems like he needed someone else tonight. I heard most of the conversation, sorry." She looked at her hands.

"No apology needed. I know this is gonna be kind of weird since I don't really know Oliver that well but is he by chance dyslexic or has he been tested for it?" Kiba asked hoping he wouldn't pick a fight with her.

"We were waiting to do the testing, how did you know?" She asked looking at him curiously.

"I'm dyslexic, I saw some of his papers, reminds me of my work from when I was a kid and when he told me reading was hard I kind of connected the two." Kiba said rubbing the back of his neck and blushing. He didn't share that information with many people.

"We've suspected it for a while and my brother has done research to help Oliver with a different learning style and it's helped but he still struggles. Unfortunately until we get the testing done they can't make adjustments to his studies. I have him in a program but it's more out of needing someone to watch him between the time he gets out of school and the time my brother picks him up."

"I um," Kiba coughed, "I could help him."

She studied him. "I can't ask you to do that. I wouldn't be able to pay you and you'd have to get him from the bus and it'd be too much of a hassle."

"Look, I'm on a 3 month medical leave, maybe more. Getting shot does that." Kiba smiled. "Honestly I'm going insanely stir crazy. Ask Ino about my background to make sure I'm not some child abuser, and you can call my boss too, she's known me forever, I'll get you her number. If you're comfortable with me doing it after that then let me know, I'll keep him until Nate gets here in the afternoons and longer on days he has a school thing. I remember high school, there's always school things after school."

"Oddly enough, I trust you, let me think on it though. I really can't pay you though. I can barely afford the after school program as it is." She said rubbing her temples.

"I don't want money Kate." He said as he left her apartment.


	11. Chapter 10

Kate spent the entire weekend playing with the idea of Kiba's offer. She wanted to accept it. It was hard to find someone willing to help her usually. He was dangerous, she realized. Not only did he have an amazing body and knew how to kiss her socks off but he was kind too. On Monday she asked Ino for her thoughts on the offer and Ino pretty much confirmed what Kiba had said. He had a hard time in school and he was raised by a single mom. Ino also let Kate know that if Kiba offered something it wasn't out of pity or some hero complex, he genuinely wanted to help and he was genuinely a decent guy and to Kate that made him even more dangerous. She would fall for him if she let herself and that was a forbidden emotion to feel towards another man. She couldn't afford another guy who would leave her.

Kiba received a text from Ino later in the day letting him know that Kate had asked about him and he replied he told her to. On Wednesday he went to take akamaru out for his afternoon walk. He noticed Kate's younger brother's car was in the parking lot again on his way back inside after his walk. He walked up the stairs to her apartment and knocked. When Nate opened the door he was smiling widely. "Hello officer Inuzuka and Akamaru. How are you today?"

"I told you kid, it's Kiba, at least when I'm off duty, and I'm doing well. Body feels a lot better today than it did last week. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good man, Oli and I are working on homework but Katie isn't home right now. She gets off in about... An hour." He said after looking at his watch.

"I'm not here for her. Do you know anything about cars Nate?" Kiba wasn't sure how to broach the subject of helping him with his car. He figured if Kate even knew he was talking to her brother she'd kill him but someone needed to help him fix that death trap.

"Uhh, not really. I've never really had anyone to help me learn about that." Nate laughed self-consciously, "I'm a little lacking in the dad department and my older brothers were all too busy when I finally got a car."

"Oh. I was raised by mom too so I get it. I had a friend's dad help me out though, want to learn about cars?" Kiba asked.

"Absolutely!" Nate all but shouted. "I know my car needs fixing but I'm saving all my money for college, so I haven't really gotten any repairs. I was lucky that my siblings pitched in to get me that."

"Got any work clothes?" Kiba asked noticing he didn't want to ruin the kid's clothes.

"I've got some basketball shorts in my car but my t-shirt is a sleeveless thing, and it's a little cold for that." Nate said thinking out loud.

"Are you guys done with your homework?" Kiba asked as an afterthought.

"Yeah we are. We were gonna watch some TV."

"Meet me at my apartment door in 5? I have a pair of sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt you can borrow. Put Oliver in some older clothes, please?"

"Yeah!" Nate said and closed the door as he shouted to Oliver to get changed.

Kiba walked back into his apartment and got one of his smaller long sleeve t-shirts, and a pair of sweats. A little before 5 minutes was up he heard the knock on his door. He opened up for them and told Nate to change. Nate came out and they walked out to his car.

For the next 45 minutes Kiba went over the basics with the boys on cars. He also made some notes on things that needed to be fixed. Nate was slightly covered in grease but he looked happy and even Oliver had managed to get his hands a little dirty. Kiba was covered completely in grease and his hands were now black with the stuff. He saw Kate pull into the parking lot and she approached them slowly.

"Hey guys…" She said looking at the trio, "What's going on?"

"Kiba knows how to fix cars!" Nate said excitedly. "He's teaching me about them."

Kiba saw her looking at him and he looked away wiping his hands on an old rag. He didn't want her mad at him again and he really wasn't up for another round of arguing. His shoulder was hurting and his cast had managed to get grease on and in it. His doctor was going to kill him. He had an appointment tomorrow and the cast would come off anyway. Hopefully he wouldn't need another one but they told him he'd probably get another one.

"Alright guys let's go get washed up, I've got a special kind of soap that will get the grease out of your hands and you can change back into your clothes Nate." Kiba went to follow the boys back inside but was stopped when Kate grabbed his good arm. "I know you said to leave Nate alone but, his car is a death trap and I just want to help him keep it running. I'm a huge advocate for going to college and we didn't even talk about cop work. He's gotta learn this stuff so when he goes away to college he's not left hanging somewhere. I just want to-"

His sentence was cut short when she put her fingers over his lips. "Shh, I know. I'm not mad. I wanted to say thank you." She looked into his eyes and she felt the burn return. He was incredibly dangerous she kept reminding herself but she couldn't stop the thumping in her chest as she stepped away from him.

She wanted to kiss him. She walked with him back into the house and realized he must have given his keys to the boys because they were inside waiting for them. He went under his sink and pulled out the gritty soap and all three boys washed up in the kitchen sink. When they were done Kiba made sure that Oliver's hands were clean and Oliver went to play with Akamaru while Nate was changing and she approached him. He was adorable and had grease on his cheek adding to his charm. He smiled at her widely as she approached. She grabbed a paper towel and wet it with the soap and water and used one hand to grab his face and the other to scrub away the grease on his cheek. She saw his heated gaze land several times on her lips and felt his hands land on her hips. She finished washing off his face right as Nate came back in and the moment was lost. She noticed Kiba repositioning his pants as he faced the sink and smiled. They definitely wanted each other. She gave her keys to Nate and asked him to walk up with Oliver and get him changed while she talked with Kiba about something and Nate smiled and wagged his eye brows at her as he grabbed the key and took Oliver upstairs.


	12. Chapter 11

The moment his door closed Kiba was on her. He grabbed her waist and pushed her against the counter and then put her on the counter and stepped between her legs. He wanted her. God he wanted her. He was hard as a rock and she had done that by just touching him. He held her legs and ground his hips into hers as she teetered on the edge of the counter. He deepened the kiss but kept her body pinned to the counter with his. "Kate, I need you." He said in a strained voice. "But we can't, not like this, we don't have enough time."

"This weekend. There's another get together, Ino invited me, and my mom is going to watch Oliver." She cupped his erection and stroked him through his pants. He groaned and spoke words not realizing they were in Japanese until she giggled.

"It's cute." She laughed.

"What is?" He asked looking down into her green eyes.

"When you switch to Japanese on accident. I have no clue what you're saying but it's cute when you do it without realizing it."

"I only do it when I'm overwhelmed by something and right now, your hand on my cock is overwhelming me. Kate you need to leave unless you want me to take you right here against this counter." He said in a warning.

"Who says I don't," She replied smiling and continuing to stroke him.

"Stop," He said stilling her hand and groaning. "I want better for you, and a quickie won't cut it for what I want to do to you."

"Friday then," She said quickly.

"Friday." With that he kissed her again and set her on the ground and walked her out of his apartment.

After she left he took a few steadying breaths and then went to his room to take care of his erection the whole time thinking about her hands on him.

By the time Friday came Kiba was a ball of nerves. He felt like a teenager. He wasn't sure how he was going to last all night before he could get her home and make love to her body. They rode together to the bar for dinner. Thankfully his friends didn't make too big of a deal about them leaving together last time since they didn't want to embarrass her just to joke with Kiba. Kiba had been given another cast the day before so his didn't smell like grease which was nice. When dinner was done they went to the club as usual and she danced with the girls while the guys talked and then when it was time for the couples to dance he found her on the floor and danced with her. Having her body against his for over an hour had his dick throbbing and he was on the verge of taking her against the wall in the club in front of everyone. After they had waited enough time so it wouldn't be weird they said their goodbyes and made their way back to his apartment. He spent time making out with her in his car and held her hand as they walked up to his apartment. He opened the door and pulled her into his arms the moment the door closed. He needed to feel her against him. She had worn a dress tonight and the view of her legs had been sending his blood pressure through the roof all night. He ran his hands under her dress to grip her ass and grind her hips into his. He ran his hands back up her body and found the zipper to her dress never breaking the kiss. He was drunk on the taste of alcohol on her lips even though she had only had a few shots with Ino. When the zipper was finally done he broke the kiss and realized she had been working on his buttons as well. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders being extra careful with his hurt shoulder and arm. She kissed the stiches on his shoulder from his bullet wound and then bit his neck turning him on even more. He worked her out of her dress and then her bra and lowered his head to pull a nipple into his mouth. She gasped and ran her fingers into his hair as he worked towards the other peak and then sucked that one into his mouth. He ran his hands up and down her body as he worked on her breasts and slowly slipped his good hand between her thighs until he was rubbing her core. She moaned loudly when he finally hit her clit with his fingers and he could tell through her panties that she was wet. She pulled his mouth off her nipple and he sucked harshly causing her to gasp again. He kept rubbing slowly between her legs as he kissed her again and she worked her hands down his chest to his jeans below. She slowly undid his pants and let them fall to the floor until he was only in his underwear. He picked her up and used his body to pin her against the wall. He wanted badly to thrust into her heat but he wanted to take his time. Experience taught him that the longer the buildup was the better the orgasm would be. He ground his erection against her core and she wrapped her legs around his hips urging him closer. He finally pulled her off the wall and carried her to his bed. He laid her down gently and went back to her breasts as he worked her underwear off. Then he kissed his way down her body until his mouth was over her core. He needed to taste her.

The moment his mouth met her center she bucked into him. She moaned loudly as he continued to lick around her clit and dip his tongue into her. She was trying to not be too loud because of the neighbors but he was making it difficult. When he pushed a finger in her she about lost it, his hands were big and he pushed in to her heat all the way slowly. After a few minutes she was panting hard and he added another finger preparing her for his cock. She was rocking into his fingers and mouth and panting harshly when he hooked his fingers hitting her in her g-spot and she moaned loudly and came around his fingers. He whispered to her as she floated and helped her ride it out with his fingers slowly pumping into her. He had worked his way back up and was kissing her as he continued to work her with his fingers.

"I need to be in you," Kiba said in a voice that wasn't his own. He had never been with anyone as responsive as her and he was throbbing to enter her.

"Please Kiba, I need you." She replied and that was all he needed to hear. He reached for a condom and rolled it on and then positioned himself over her.

"If you need me to stop at any point let me know okay?" He said seriously.

"Okay." She said nodding.

Thank god he had strong arms because he could only use one arm to support himself over her. He used her juices to lubricate himself as he sat back on his knees between her legs and then slid the tip into her heat she wiggled giving him more access and then he leaned forward with his good arm near her head and slid in slowly loving the feel of her heat surrounding him. When he finally entered her all the way he sat there in her as she squeezed him urging him to move. He slowly started to move himself in and out of her in soft thrusts and her hips rose to meet his with every thrust. He wanted to roll his eyes back in pleasure but he also wanted to see her in the moment. She was beautiful. Her mouth hung open in a look of pure pleasure and she glistened slightly from the sweat they had built up after a few minutes. She wrapped her legs around him and used them to push him deeper into her and harder. After about fifteen minutes he sat back.

"Sorry I need to change positions though," He said panting, "My arm is killing me."

"Roll over" She replied. She pushed him lightly onto his back and straddled his hips. She slowly worked her way onto him careful not to place her hands near his hurt shoulder. She started to bounce on his dick and he grabbed her hips and thrust up to meet her with every bounce. He liked her like this lost in the moment moaning loudly. He felt her tighten around him as her hips started losing rhythm and she ground her hips against his with him fully in her and came hard. She moaned his name as his hands rocked her hips with him fully in her. He could feel her pussy trying desperately to milk him but he wasn't ready to give up control yet. She collapsed on him after a few seconds and panted until she was able to get her breath back and he told her to climb off him. He stood on the edge of the bed and brought her to the edge on her hands and knees.

He entered her from behind and it caused her to moan loudly and arch her back. She really liked this position. He started slowly and picked up speed as she began to rock back into him. She grasped the sheets tightly as he repeatedly pounded deep into her. She had never come this many times in one night and she was surprised he could last this long but it felt too good to voice her questions. He started groaning as she reached back with one hand to pull his hips harder into hers. He was doing it again, speaking in Japanese as he slammed into her. She never thought it would turn her on so much but he was speaking to her quickly and she felt herself tightening again. His pounding increased and started to become more erratic and when he whispered in her ear she didn't know what he was saying for sure but came anyway and as she did he did too. He pumped a few final times and then just slid completely into her. He leaned forward over her resting and kissed her shoulder blades and back as he caught his breath.

He was exhausted. He had never come like that before. It was so intense that his vision went white and he collapse on her barely able to hold his weight afterward. His whole body was shaking with the aftermath. He slowly slid out of her and walked to the bathroom to clean himself and brought a rag back to clean her up as well. He kissed her slowly as he ran the wet rag between her legs to clean up the juices that had leaked out. After he did that he took the rag back to the bathroom and threw on a pair of shorts as he climbed back into bed with her to continue kissing her. Her lips were amazing. He could kiss them for hours. He pulled her against his good side and held her. She curled into him and he felt content. He kissed her hair as she started drifting off to sleep and he followed her quickly.


	13. Chapter 12

Kiba woke up with her still in his arms and he was glad she hadn't left him in the middle of the night. He pulled her body closer to his and nuzzled her neck. She giggled and turned toward him allowing him to kiss her thoroughly. He felt the stirrings of desire start to build in him but was brought out of his thoughts by a loud ringing phone. She jumped next to him and then searched frantically for her phone. When she finally found it she frowned and then took a deep breath before answering. He watched her closely until she retreated into his kitchen after throwing his shirt on. He wanted to follow her but he felt like she needed privacy so he brushed his teeth and then took akamaru out. When he returned he sighed in relief because she was still there but frowned because she looked incredibly stressed by whoever she was talking to. He overheard enough to understand it was a guy named Tony and it had to do something with Oliver.

"Tony please. Don't do this. I just need more time to think about it. No tony. I'm begging you please don't." Kiba heard the desperation in her voice and his heart clenched. Something was wrong. He heard her slink down to the floor and end the call. He got up slowly and walked to her in the kitchen. She had tears in her eyes and a blank stare on her face.

"Kate what's wrong?" Kiba asked quietly and he squat down in front of her.

She didn't answer so he sat next to her on the floor and she let him pull her against him. "Baby" he whispered in her ear. "Talk to me." She curled into herself and her tears started to fall.

"I should go" she said in a soft voice.

"No you're safe here sweetheart." Kiba said rubbing her back soothingly. "Tell me what's going on. Who's tony?"

"He's Oliver's father." She said as more tears fell. "He has been pushing to see Oliver for a couple months it's part of why we moved. I thought he'd leave us alone. I know nothing about him now, he just showed up one day a couple months ago demanding to meet Oliver. I've been pushing it off but now he says he got a lawyer and he's going to fight me for full custody and shut me out of Oliver's life." She wrapped her arms around her legs. "I can't lose him. He's all I've got. I never wanted kids. I saw how difficult it was for my mom to raise us alone and I decided everyone leaves eventually so what's the point in making a life with someone else but then I met tony and he was flashy and had money and he was great but when I got pregnant he told me to leave. He didn't want me or the kid. So I did. I went home." She started to move and Kiba held her tightly.

"Look give me some time. I know a few lawyers. Until then let me start the after school thing with Oliver so you don't have to worry about the money there. I want to help."

Kate closed her eyes as Ino's words replayed in her head about what Kiba meant when he said he wanted to help. "Okay." She sighed out. "I'll pull him from the program on Monday and on Tuesday I'll make sure you know when to get him from the bus. I'm sure he'll be excited since he adores you at this point." She felt the tears gather in her eyes again. "Kiba?" She said leaning back against his chest and letting him wrap his arms around her tightly.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't break Oliver's heart." She said seriously and then pulled out of his embrace and walked to grab her clothes and go back to her place.


	14. Chapter 13

Kiba sat there for a long time after she left and heard her words bounce around in his head. Don't break Oliver's heart? Kiba never thought about that being an issue. Was he doing the right thing by helping?

He decided he needed a boy's night out and passed on his pain meds so he could drink tonight. He sent out the message letting them know it was important. 'Someone come pick me up, Hokage's orders.' That was their code. Whenever it was sent out everyone stopped their plans unless they were on shift and went to that person for support. The girls knew about it now so he didn't bother to send it to just the guys and placed it in the group chat instead. Two seconds later Shino called him.

"What's wrong?"

"I need help. I've dug a hole for myself and I need to get drunk to figure out how to get out." He heard the banging on his door next and Shikamaru and Naruto were there. So he opened the door and let them know Shino was on the phone.

"I'm on shift buddy but I'll drop in if I can."

"Thanks man."

"Sasuke said to let you know he and Lee are on shift too but the rest of the guys should be there."

"Alright thanks Shino."

He hung up the phone and hung his head.

"What's going on man?" Shikamaru asked.

"It's hard to explain. Get a few drinks in me and I'll fill you in."

Naruto put his arm around Kiba and dragged him to the car after Kiba took akamaru out a final time.

Kiba was 7 shots in when he could no longer feel the pain in his shoulder and arm. He also couldn't feel his face. So he figured it was time to share.

"She asked me not to break the kid's heart. The kid has gotten attached to me and I don't know how to not break a kid's heart."

"Are we talking about Kate?"

"Yes Naruto keep up." Kiba said slightly tipsy.

"We slept together last night. We've been going back and forth since the last dinner and I wanted her something fierce. So last night we finally gave in. It was perfect, I mean best sex I've ever had. And I was content to just lay with her afterwards. But then this morning she gets a call from her ex-boyfriend. Apparently the kid's dad found them and wants a chance but he's got money and he's being pushy. So he told her this morning since she hadn't let him see the kid yet he was going to push for full custody. I held her while she cried and shared her past with me and then she told me the kid adores me and asked me not to break the kid's heart. Guys I don't do commitment."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered and then sighed. "Kiba maybe this time you should."

"Don't you get it? I don't want kids. I have a damn good reason I don't want kids or a relationship. I don't want to mess it up." Kiba said running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"We all felt that way. Temari still scares the shit out of me with how much she loves me. And my kid? He's more like me every day and that also scares me. I want him to be better than me, I know my faults and I don't want to see them in him. I'm scared I'll do something to screw it all up and I'll hurt them or worse I'll lose them forever. Kiba you have to face whatever it is that's holding you back or you're never going to be happy."

"I feel the same way. Hinata is way too good for me. I'm scared she's gonna see that one day and leave me in the trash bin where I belong. But I try not to think about that because I love her too much to taint our relationship with my fears." Naruto added to the mix.

The rest of the guys agreed as well and Kiba felt like he wasn't as alone as he thought. Kiba spent the rest of the night getting wasted and when they took him back to his apartment Shikamaru took akamaru out for him and after he left Kiba decided he needed to be with her. He grabbed his keys and stumbled upstairs to her door and began knocking loudly. After a few minutes she answered and he verbally stumbled through what he wanted. First in Japanese then finally in English. "You, I want to hold you."

She let him in half scared he'd fall back down the stairs if she turned him down. Plus she didn't want to be alone. She helped him to the couch but he pushed past her to her room to lay down and then pulled her to him. She wiggled free to cut all the lights off and when she came back he had gotten out of his shirt. She climbed back into bed under the covers then let him pull her body to his. He was drunk but she didn't care. She just wanted to be held. "I'm scared" he spoke to the quiet room. "I don't do commitment because I'm just like my dad. He walked away from everything. My family says I look like him, and I've got some of his quirks, and some of his attitudes. I don't want to do that to Oliver. I don't want to break his heart. I don't want to do that to you either. I'll leave you guys out of this but give me tonight to hold you and give me time to tutor him. He needs to learn how to read and I'm gonna be his best bet at this point. I remember how they did it with me. A few weeks and then I'll back off. I promise and I'll do it in a nice way so he understands. I don't want to break his heart after he's had months to build that attachment." After saying that he tightened his hold on her and passed out. Leaving her mind whirling. She listened to his steady heartbeat and eventually passed out more determined than ever to keep him at an arm's length in the future.

She woke up nestled against him with her face on his bare chest. She turned away from him to check her phone but he pulled her back against him spooning her. She needed to get up because she needed to go get Oliver but she wasn't ready to face the world just yet. Kiba made her feel safe and protected like she'd be okay and that scared her more than anything. She couldn't afford to feel that way. She laid there a little longer and then steeled herself and got up. She heard him grunt and moan in pain as he began to wake. He probably has one hell of a hangover. He may not even remember sharing what he did with her last night or where he is.

Kiba groaned as the bright light hit his eyes causing his head to scream out in pain. Why was his room so bright? He adjusted his eyes to realize this wasn't his room and images from last night played in his head. He was drunk but he wasn't so drunk he didn't remember coming to her. He reached out for her and realized she wasn't next to him. He frowned and tried to move but groaned when his body protested. "Owww." He slowly got up and found his shirt and put it on. She was in the kitchen looking worried and confused. He probably messed everything up.

"I need to go get Oliver." Was the only thing she said.

He studied her. "I remember last night, I remember what I told you."

"I think we should keep it friends between us." She started to speak and then "I hate to admit it but I need your help but just until I get everything settled."

Kiba nodded unsure of what else to say. "Call me with the information about Oliver." Kiba said as he left.


	15. Chapter 14

On Tuesday Kiba was waiting for the bus to arrive and picked up Oliver who grabbed his hand as they walked back to the apartment together. Kiba wanted to remove his hand from the kid's but didn't know how to do it without hurting Oliver's feeling so he let it be. As he thought the kid was smart but he was having trouble with reading, writing, and mixing up his letters in general. Kiba worked with him for about an hour and all his homework was done by the time that Nate showed up to take him. Nate asked Kiba about working on his car again and Kiba told him to finish with his homework and then meet him downstairs. About 30 minutes later he was outside Kiba's door dressed in old clothes and ready to go. Kiba liked Nate's enthusiasm. They worked for a good hour before Kate showed up and the boys went to his apartment to wash up. Kate didn't join them this time and Kiba told himself he was fine with it.

The rest of the week went similar but on the weekend he went to the parts store to pick up parts for Nate's car. He wasn't going to make the kid pay him back because he understood trying to save for college and he wanted to help him have a reliable car.

The next Monday Kiba helped Nate start work on replacing things in the car. Nate was so excited it was hard for the bad mood that Kiba had been in to stay with him. Oliver helped them when he could getting more dirty than usual but he liked that Oliver was excited about something. Every time Kate showed up his gaze would follow her. He wanted her and he missed her. It had only been a week and a half but his body craved her. They stuck to pleasantries and it was killing him. He also noticed that with every passing day she was looking more depressed and he wanted to erase her worry lines. He wasn't much better, he was having trouble sleeping.

Kate missed him. She heard about him every waking hour that her son was with her. He was beyond smitten and she was worried about Kiba getting too close but his reading was getting better and he was happier. She knew this was going to end badly though so she kept her distance so maybe Kiba would be able to keep things going with Oliver as long as Kiba and her didn't get involved any more than distant friends. She was just losing a lot of sleep dreaming about his hands on her body or him pressing her into the mattress with his own and driving her over the edge. She would forget about that over time. Things had progressed with Tony and she was trying desperately to keep things out of court so she had agreed to let Oliver meet him.

She decided to talk to Oliver about it that night. Oliver was talking about his good grade on his reading when she sat down on the couch next to him.

"Oli we need to talk. It's important." She told him pulling him to cuddle her. "How would you feel if I told you your dad wanted to meet you?"

"What?" Oliver looked at her and she read the hope on his face. "My real dad?"

"Yes. He left a long time ago but he called me and he wants to meet you."

"Would you be there?" Oliver looked anxious.

"Absolutely baby. At least until you are comfortable enough to be without me. This is just a maybe thing okay?"

"Can we go tonight?" He asked the excitement was back.

"No baby. It's late and you have school tomorrow." She sighed. "How about I'll call him tonight and see if he is free tomorrow?"

Oliver nodded excitedly and then asked "can I go tell Mr. Kiba?"

"Yeah but if he doesn't answer you come right back okay?" She said to his back as he ran downstairs. She walked to the hall to listen for Kiba to answer his door and when he did she stepped back into the house and made the call she dreaded most.

Tony answered quickly. "Hey tony. I talked to Oliver and he wants to meet you. Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes. I can pick him up from school and take him to dinner."

"He wants me there for the first few times." She said.

"What now you don't trust me with my son?" Tony said harshly.

"No it's not like that, it's just you're new to him and he's shy." Kate said trying not to argue with him.

"Two times Kate. You get two visits with both of us and then he's mine or I go through the courts and I take him from you."

She felt tears sting her eyes. "Okay."

"Tomorrow. I'll text you the place. Don't back out on me." Tony ended the call and moments later she heard the beep notifying her there was a text from him.

She stood and walked to the kitchen. She felt like her son was slipping through her fingers and it built up anxiety in her chest making it hard to breathe.


	16. Chapter 15

Kiba listened to Oliver's rapid speech. Kiba felt jealousy flare up in his chest. Why did his father have to come back? He shook his head. Oliver wasn't his kid. Kiba was sitting on the couch and Oliver had curled up next to him cuddled into his side. Kiba liked the contact. He had gotten attached to Oliver and it had him wondering what it would be like to be a father. When Oliver yawned and laid his head against Kiba, Kiba told Oliver to get up so they could get him back to his house.

"Kiba?" Oliver said to him quietly. "Can you carry me?"

Kiba swallowed as his throat tightened. "Sure." Kiba maneuvered Oliver so he was holding him on his good side. Oliver laid his head on Kiba's shoulder and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck and Kiba felt adoration swell in his chest. As he knocked on Kate's apartment door she opened and looked concerned but he put his finger to his lips to shh her. He figured Oliver had passed out because he had become a dead weight. Kiba walked Oliver into his room. Thankfully he was already in his night clothes and Kiba placed him on his bed and Kate came in to help tuck him in. "Night buddy," Kiba said patting his head.

"Night Kiba, love you." Oliver said with a sleepy smile.

Kiba's heart seized in his chest. No. He couldn't do this. He walked out of Oliver's room panting. Kate joined him a few seconds later. Looking at him concerned. Kiba felt the panic in his chest and he moved to leave but Kate grabbed his arm stopping him.

"I'm sorry" Kiba said pained. "I'm so sorry."

"Kiba it's okay." Kate said and he looked at her. Her eyes were red rimmed and he realized she must have been shattered by the idea of Oliver finally meeting his dad. He pulled her into a hug not knowing what else to do. His body had missed her but his head had missed her company as well. She was a soft place to land. She looked up at him and he met her in a soft kiss. They kissed for several minutes before she slowly led him to her room. "Are you sure? I mean Oliver's asleep right down the hall and I don't want to hurt you." Kiba said.

"I need this." Kate said letting all her tension go and giving in to her body's wants. Kiba worked slowly to remove her clothes and his own dragging out the foreplay. When she was naked they moved to the bed and Kiba settled between her legs. She heard him mutter something in Japanese and she smiled nipping at his neck. He sheathed himself in a condom and slid into her slowly. He held her while his hips worked against hers and she clung to him. He continued to pump into her slowly bringing her to the edge. He kissed her neck leaving a trail of kisses from one side to the other and then back to her lips for a deep kiss. He kept his kisses in time with his thrusts into her heat. Their love making was slow and passionate and when they both came she teared up at how gentle and good it was. Kiba cleaned himself and then returned to her bed to lay down and hold her. She cuddled into his form. He was always warm and she loved it. She drifted off to sleep as he kissed her forehead.

Kiba felt his heart trip several times in his chest as she drifted off. This had been different. He had felt need but he felt something else there too and that scared him. When he knew she was asleep he slipped from the bed quiet and sent her a text explaining he left so Oliver wouldn't be confused when he woke up and Kiba was there.

Kiba was confused himself and he was sure that he had just ruined everything. He had felt at home with her though. She had killed his loneliness and he felt happy when he was around the two. He had to fight everything in him to not go back to her bed. He shook his head. He was just bored. It had only been a little over a month into his medical leave and when work started back up he'd get over these feelings. When he got back to his apartment he was too worked up to lay down so he took akamaru out. It was almost midnight. He needed to run off his energy. He walked out and noticed an unfamiliar car sitting in the parking lot. He figured it was just somebody who was lost and went about his run and 30 minutes later when he came back it was just leaving. He felt the hair on his neck rise but shook it off. He'd been out of the field too long and his head was playing tricks on him. Either way he took note of the car and decided to keep a look out.


	17. Chapter 16

The next day Kiba had nothing to do so he went to the parts store to get more things to fix Nates car. They had made some progress and Kiba felt a little better about the kid driving the thing. Nate was going to come over after school and they were going to work on it even though Oliver wouldn't be there. Nate had Kiba's number in case of emergencies and texted him to ask and Kiba was bored so he didn't turn the teen down. Around 4 the teen rolled into the parking lot and they got started.

"So not to pry" Nate started and Kiba smiled because he knew that meant he was about to pry. "But are you and my sister...together?"

Kiba laughed Nate definitely was prying. "No. We're friends."

"Really because I'm pretty sure she's got the hots for you and I thought you felt the same. I was getting vibes from you guys." Nate said. "Well if you guys do get together, I approve."

"Thanks kid." Kiba said shaking his head.

"It's just" Nate continued. "She's really bad about picking guys. I was kind of excited that she finally picked a good one. I mean the others have destroyed her every time and you don't seem like the type to do that."

"What makes you so sure I wouldn't do that?" Kiba asked. "You barely know me."

"I know a lot about you." Nate began. "First off, you're great with Oliver and you've included me in that. You are helping me rebuild a car that was a piece of crap, sorry Bertha," Nate patted his car lovingly. "You're a cop, and you have a dog and it's obvious you guys have a good relationship, dogs are good judges of character and the fact that your dog respects you enough to be your partner speaks for its self. You're a gentleman even though you like the bad boy vibes you can give off. And my sister may not always be the best judge of character but I like to think I am better and I trust you." Nate finished.

Kiba was at a loss for words. He had never had anyone spell out that he was a good guy. A picture of his father flashed in his mind and he realized he would always have his father's blood running through him so he was always going to be one step from leaving them. "Relationships are different though Nate, I'm not a commitment type of guy and your sister deserves better than a guy like me."

"You do feel deeply for her." Nate said and it wasn't a question. "If you didn't you wouldn't say that she deserves someone better."

Kiba felt the impact of Nates words hit him deeply. He did care but he was staying away for her benefit. He would break her heart and it would break his own when he did. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on the car. "You some type of psychologist?" Kiba laughed.

"It's on my list of things to go to college for," Nate said back beaming at Kiba.

After they finished putting the new set of parts on Kiba told him to fire the car up. Nate smiled proudly when the loud squealing sound didn't happen and Kiba sighed. It was nowhere near finished but they were definitely making progress. "Bertha no longer sounds like she's dying." Nate laughed. "I'll need to go soon. I was hoping Katie would be back by now. I'm worried about her falling to that guys charms. I remember him just barely but I never liked the guy. Thought he could buy everything, ya know? Katie was so into him though."

Kiba didn't want to hear it and there was a burning sensation in his chest at the thought of her being with someone else. He clenched the rag in his fists and kept his head down. "Well she's an adult with the ability to make her own decisions kid. Gotta let her do that."

"I know but I'd rather her date you." Nate muttered just loud enough for Kiba to hear.

"Alright let's get cleaned up." Kiba said ignoring the topic. They went inside and washed up before Nate finished his homework and headed out. Kiba decided to take akamaru for a run and on his way back he saw Kate and Oliver pull in and park. Oliver ran ahead but he could tell that Kate was barely holding on. Akamaru rushed ahead and brushed against her and she petted him distractedly. Akamaru had warmed up to them instantly and was able to sense her tense mood. Kiba followed but made sure to keep his hands in his pocket. "How was it?" He asked.

"It was good, Oliver is smitten." She said with a sniffle. She still hadn't looked at him.

"It must be hard." Kiba didn't know what else to say. But realized she was barely holding back. Then he saw a tear fall as she leaned over to pet akamaru. "Kate..." He began but didn't know what to say.

"It's okay." She said wiping at her face. "I need to go in. Oliver will be getting impatient."

As if on cue Oliver burst out of the building and threw himself at Kiba.

"Kibaaa!" Oliver shouted as Kiba caught him easily. "My dad is so cool. He bought me a video game system!"

"No way." Kiba said keeping an eye on Kate. "That sounds pretty cool." He carried Oliver inside and up to their apartment.

"Yeah and tomorrow he's taking me to the pizza place."

"Cool." Kiba felt his jealousy building.


	18. Chapter 17

Kate was a mess. Thankfully Kiba was running interference between her and her son because she was two seconds from having a total meltdown. Akamaru was leaning into her and she felt grateful for it he was comforting her. She wanted to scream and cry and throw things. She felt him slipping away. Tony had done what he always did with her. He was flashing money in front of her son and using it to get Oliver to like him. He had even done that to her. He bought her a necklace and complemented her. She felt like his personality was fake though. She didn't know who the real him was and she had an uneasy feeling it wasn't a nice person. She was just really confused as to why he came back now. She had turned down all his affections which had seemed to annoy him but she wasn't interested in having a relationship right now. At least not with him she thought looking at Kiba. She entered the kitchen of their home and looked around the apartment. There were touches of Oliver everywhere from the good reports on the fridge, to the photos on the walls. She couldn't imagine life without him. She put a casserole in the oven so she could feed all of them as Oliver had invited Kiba and akamaru to dinner. Kiba, akamaru and Oliver were sitting at the table working on homework and after they finished they put it on Oliver's favorite channel and he and akamaru curled up together on the couch to watch cartoons. For a moment she wondered how things would have been different if she had been with Kiba all along. He fit so well into their unit that she no longer felt the need to push him away when he tried to help. She was lost in her thoughts as she washed some of the dishes when she felt Kiba's arms come around her waist from behind. He placed his head on her shoulder and squeezed her close. Her throat closed up because she felt cherished and she didn't want to lose that feeling. He kissed her shoulder and worked his way to her neck where he sucked lightly igniting a fire in her. She held back a moan but her hips involuntarily arched her back pushing her butt into his crotch. His grip found her hips pulling her back into him and she felt the beginning of an erection forming. He wanted her.

"We can't." He groaned out in a whisper. "But I really want to. Tonight, let me take you to bed after Oliver sleeps."

Kiba shifted his pants to hide his problem and walked back into the living room to find Oliver passed out with his arm curled around akamaru. His chest tightened with emotion as he studied his long time best friend and partner with the little boy he wished was his own. He wanted to join them. He checked the clock and realized it was actually time for Oliver to sleep so he told Kate he'd get him to bed and she nodded. Oliver probably ate with his dad but he was assuming the food was for Kate and himself. He picked up the sleeping boy and carried him to his room with akamaru hot on his heels. He obviously wanted to lay back down with Oliver. Kiba helped the half-awake child change for bed and then tucked him in.

"Night Kiba. Love you." The boy whispered as Kiba brushed back his hair.

"Love you too buddy." Kiba didn't hesitate this time and he knew it was true. He loved the kid.

He worked his way back to the kitchen where Kate was picking at her food. He wasn't hungry. He looked at her and she looked so lost that he knew he was going to comfort her with his body no matter how much his head told him not to. His whole being was humming as he helped her put away the left overs and then led her to her room. He took his time with her. Pleasuring her with his fingers and mouth but when he finally entered her it was like coming home. He would never get tired of how her body fit against him and how her body accepted his in their love making. He had entered her from behind. He figured that position wasn't the most romantic but it would drive her to the edge quick and then he could change positions and stare at her when they came again. He worked up a sweat with his thrusts grabbing her hips tightly to pull her back into him. When he heard her moan and ask for it harder he began pounding into her quicker and rougher as her back arched letting him hit deeper than before. This position allowed her to muffle her moans in her pillow and she was going crazy as the sound of skin slapping from his pumping surrounded them.

She knew this is what she needed. To forget everything but the feel of Kiba bringing her to sweet release. She couldn't stop the way her back arched when he was hitting so deeply and right where she wanted. She rocked into him without rhythm and when she came she wanted to scream but knew she couldn't so settled for chanting his name softly as she shook in his arms. She almost said the words that had been on the tip of her tongue all night. She loved him. There was no denying it anymore. The way he comforted her, seeing his interactions with her son, the way he offered his help no matter how infuriating it was, she loved it. She knew if she told him he'd run though and that thought hurt her. She turned as he asked and he studied her and she hoped he couldn't read it on her face. He kissed her deeply just making out with her for a few minutes while she came down from her high. When he reentered her it was different. Like he knew exactly what she needed. He was slow and paid attention to every part of her with his hands as she panted underneath his body. She watched his muscles come to life as she ran her hands lovingly around his shoulders and down his torso and he shuddered pausing after thrusting into her. The almost lazy pace built everything in her slowly and she knew the orgasm would rock everything in her.

Kiba studied her as he worked in and out of her heat. She was perfect. Every reaction brought him closer to what he was sure was going to be a soul shattering orgasm and he didn't want their time to ever end. As he got closer he clung to her and his rhythm became less structured and when she cried out his name and her heat clenched around him tightly he pumped a few finally times and then came deep within her. He couldn't support himself because he was shaking so hard and he let his weight fall on her. She held his head against her chest and he breathed her in. After cleaning up he laid down and was close to passing out and his guard was down when he whispered the three words that stopped his heart without thinking. "I love you" he muttered sleepily and then froze.


	19. Chapter 18

She smiled at him sleepily before he could think and said. "I don't think you realize how adorable and hot it is when you speak Japanese without thinking. Because let me tell you if you hadn't just rocked my world and I wasn't exhausted that would constitute another round." She said kissing him.

He sighed with relief and thanked the gods that he spoke two languages interchangeably. He had been able to say it without her knowing. He was wide awake now though and as much as he wanted to stay he couldn't.

"Stay," she said reading his thoughts, she felt him withdrawing. "I don't want to be alone."

"You know I'd love to but I don't want to confuse Oliver. I mean meeting his dad is probably enough confusion for one week. I don't want his mind to have to process this."

"And what is 'this'?" She asked without thinking and knew she had said the wrong thing. He looked uncomfortable as he spoke.

"I don't know." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I like our time together but we know where we both stand. It's just not a good idea."

"I know." She wanted to cry. Why had she pushed it? Everything had been perfect until she had to push things about them. Now he was running.

"I should go," Kiba said.

"Yeah I know." She replied.

"Kate..." He began and she knew what he wanted to say.

"Don't. Please don't." She couldn't handle an apology at this point.

"I'll see you around tomorrow probably." Kiba said leaving her bed. She heard his whisper for akamaru and the click of the dogs nails on the floor as they left. She got up and put on clothes to combat the sudden frigidness in the air and walked to double lock the door. Then she made coffee and cried. And she hated herself for crying for him.

Kiba once again was cursing himself. He texted his best friend as he left the building to walk akamaru. It was cold outside but the dog needed to be walked before bedtime and Kiba needed air. Kiba was looking at his phone when he got a text back from Shino but when he looked up he noticed the same car from the other night sitting once again in their parking lot. Kiba tried to get the license plate number but it was parked in such a way that he couldn't. Kiba slowed his walk and then entered his apartment with his senses whirling. If he saw it again he was going to send the info to his friends and have them send a patrol car to the parking lot every couple of nights. Kiba didn't really put away any high class criminals, he wasn't like Neij, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sasuke, they were detectives. He was a simple street cop so he could be a k9 officer. He was never really sure how Naruto got that title because he was mostly dumb as bricks but he worked really hard. But the entire group had been working that child kidnapping ring that was selling children ages 5-10 as slaves to the black market. The guy that shot him had been part of that. Kiba checked in occasionally but for the most part he was told to keep out since he was on medical leave. However his friends had kept him in the loop for the most part. They guy that shot him had been low on the totem pole as far as they knew so nobody would really be after Kiba for revenge. He still couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was possibly being watched. He needed to change his schedule. He had become too predictable anyone watching him would know his routine. He walked back up to his apartment and when he was safe inside he sent a return text to his partner explaining that he felt like he was being watched. Shino asked him the details and Kiba shared everything and Shino promised he would make a drive through the area during next patrol and look for the car. Kiba watched some news and once again there was information about another child that had been kidnapped and there were no clues. That makes 10. He shook his head. He couldn't imagine losing a kid that way. His mind flashed to Oliver and his chest tightened. He'd move heaven and earth looking for that kid if he went missing. He was constantly reminding himself that Oliver wasn't his lately. Around 2 am he finally passed out.

A week later Kate found her first real dilemma. It was the first time Oliver would be meeting with his father alone and it was for the whole weekend. She had to fight everything in her to run with Oliver and never look back but Oliver was excited and how do you say no to that. She had packed him a bag and picked him up from school and she was waiting to drop him off. She was meeting Ino and Kiba and their friends for a night out afterwards so she could take her mind off of it but she wasn't sure it would help. When she dropped him off she was still fighting the uneasy feeling of leaving Oliver with Tony. After crying in her car as she watched them drive away she finally made it back to her apartment where she found Kiba and Nate working on Nates car. She had only seen him sporadically throughout the week and she knew he was busy because he had rarely been home except to stay with Oliver after school. He had been putting in light desk duty at work and she had been extra busy with Ino. She didn't want to see them now. She parked and heard Nate calling her but she pushed into the building and rushed to her apartment where she continued to fall apart. She knew she probably looked ridiculous but she didn't care. It was only 10 minutes later that she heard a light knock on her door and opened it trying her best not to look like she was falling apart in front of her brother. Except it wasn't her brother it was the man she was so in love with it hurt and he was looking at her with an expression that made her tear up and then fat drops began falling to the floor and he rushed in to hold her. He knew what was going on, Oliver had no doubt told him.


	20. Chapter 19

"It's okay sweetheart. I didn't want him to go either." Kiba said.

"I'm just so scared of losing him. He seems so infatuated with Tony that I feel like he's slipping through my grasp." Kate cried out.

Kiba held her as she cried for everything she was worth and he soothed her through it all allowing her to sit on his lap on the couch. Until she was done and leaning into him.

"It'll be okay babe. He's always going to need his mom."

She nodded.

"Let's get ready for dinner. Everyone really likes you and it'll keep your mind off of it." With that said he pushed her toward her room and left to go change in his own apartment.

He met her 30 minutes later and they rode together. As usual he wasn't planning on drinking so he offered to make sure she made it home safe. At dinner he occasionally put his arm around her and she saw Ino studying them. She wasn't sure he was aware he was doing it. She spent the whole meal leaning into his strength and when they went dancing they stayed together the whole time with him holding her hips and her swaying her body against his. He stole a few kisses as well.

"What's changed?" Ino asked when she caught Kate alone. "You fell for him didn't you?"

"No we're just friends." Kate replied quickly.

"Honey with the way he's been acting towards you and looking at you all night you better make sure he knows you're just friends." Ino said with a smile. "Kiba's different Kate. He swears he'll never settle down because of his father but I think he secretly wants someone to come home to. Please be gentle with him. He's the type to fall hard for a girl and by extension her kid. And when he does finally fall for someone he's gonna try to sabotage it because he feels like he's not worthy of their love. He'll let you break his heart because he feels like that's what he deserves. So just be sure you want him before you let him fall for you." She did want him. All of him. She was so in love with him she wanted to scream it from the roof tops but she knew how he felt about it so she kept her mouth shut.

Kiba watched Ino and Kate have their private conversation and he could read Kate's face that it was serious. He walked over to get Kate so they could leave and on the ride back he asked about it.

"Nothing," she said. "We were just talking about work."

He didn't believe her. "You sure because you looked concerned and serious. Ino's not really the type to talk shop outside of work."

"I'm worried about Oliver" she said so Kiba let it drop.

Kiba reached over and held her hand in his own. "Me too" he admitted.

He took her home and stayed the night.

On Sunday morning at two am his phone blared to life. He had been working light duty helping with the kidnapping case. They had made a break in the case when one of the ring leaders crashed his car pretty bad with two kids in it. The guy was on drugs. One of the kids was the little boy that had been recently kidnapped. As he was ending the call he heard frantic pounding on his door and jumped up expecting it to be one of the guys. He opened the door without thinking and met a panicked Kate.

"Oliver is in the hospital." She said quickly but she was shaking incredibly bad. "He's in critical condition. I can't drive."


	21. Chapter 20

"Calm down. What do you mean he's in the hospital?" Kiba asked.

"That bastard was driving around and wrecked his car with my baby in it." She was on the verge of crying.

"I'll drive" Kiba said grabbing his keys and rushing out the door. He had akamaru with him because he was going to need to report for duty as soon as possible but first he needed to get to Oliver. He sped through the city to the children's hospital and was hand in hand and asking the receptionist to see Oliver the moment he bust through the door.

"Sir what's your relation?"

"He's my son" Kiba said without thinking and then pulled Kate to him. "This is his mother."

They showed IDs and we're given tags and taken to the right floor where they waited. He was in surgery. After an hour his boss came through the doors and looked at him confused. "Inuzuka? I didn't realize you were gonna be here so early."

"Huh?" Kiba said totally confused.

"You are here for the case right?" His captain asked.

"No I'm here for my kid." Kiba said.

"I...wasn't aware you had children?" His captain looked both confused and interested in how her officer had magically birthed a child within a few months that he had been gone.

"It's really complicated but he's my girlfriend's kid. I just...it's just...I care for him like he's my own okay?" Kiba was getting frustrated.

"Okay. I get it." Captain Yuuhi said understanding. "I'm Captain Kurenai Yuuhi, I'm Kiba's boss but I've known him forever because I worked with his mother before that."

Kate didn't have long to process everything. Kiba had called Oliver his son twice and now he had called her his girlfriend. Somewhere the boundaries had blurred and they were no longer just friends. She didn't really care who she was to him at this point though she just wanted news on Oliver. When she had received the call from the police her heart had stopped. She thanked God that she had put a card in Oliver's little wallet that he always kept on him stating who he was and his emergency contacts. She hadn't been told much just that the crash was bad. A tall lady with blond hair entered the room to speak to them.

"He's stable. He had multiple wounds and we've done a lot of stitches. His ankle was broken pretty badly and from what I was told the driver ran a red light and the other car t-boned the vehicle with most of the impact being where your child was sitting." Kate gripped Kiba like a lifeline at this. "He lost a lot of blood and had some internal injuries but we've stopped the bleeding and now we just need him to wake up in a few hours. Before you enter, he's pretty beaten up, and the road to recovery is going to be a long one. But he needs you to be strong at his side. He might be able to hear you so keep that in mind."

Kate nodded and felt Kiba's arm come around her and grip her tightly. He looked about ready to cry with her. She leaned into him as they walked forward. When she reached Oliver's room she could see him through the glass and almost broke down. "Kiba I can't do this! I can't lose my baby. I'll die."

Kiba gripped her shoulders. "Kate. Focus. You heard the doctor. We need to be strong for him. I don't want to but if you can't control yourself I'll walk you out of there. I love him too but we can't break now. Not when he needs us the most."

"Okay." Kate said letting his words sink in as she took a deep breath. They entered together and her voice broke as she spoke. "Hey baby boy. Mommy's here and Kiba's with me."

"Hey buddy." Kiba's voice was cracking too. "I'm right here and I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."

Kate couldn't speak anymore so she just sat on Kiba's lap and held her sons hand. Oliver was covered in marks and bruises and in certain places dried blood. He had a cast on his leg and stitches in several places on his arms. He laid there looking lifeless and she felt like her world was crashing down. She was about to break down but felt Kiba pull her back into him and she rested with her head in his neck as he moved the chair close enough for her to still hold Oliver's hand. They say like that for hours until Kiba went to go get food. He talked to his boss while he was out there and then stepped into another hospital room for something else. When he came back looking grim she didn't have the energy to ask but he cuddled her like before and she dozed on and off being held by him. Around 1 in the afternoon Oliver woke in intense pain and the nurses rushed in to sedate him. This happened several times over the next week and she was frayed by the end of the week because each time Oliver would wake in a panic and Kiba would spend the next 30 minutes holding her in the hallway as she cried herself out. He had been strong through everything and she was more in love with him than ever. She wasn't sure she could keep it from him much longer. On day 7 he excused himself to make a call as he had done several times during their stay. He had rarely left her side unless it was to work a few hours of get her food. She felt like he was hiding something but she didn't feel like prying when she was too worried about Oliver. He had progressed well and they said he might be able to wake for a little longer soon.

Kiba walked into the sunlight and made a call to his mother.


	22. Chapter 21

"How is he?" She asked since she knew everything.

"Pretty much the same. He doesn't stay awake for very long even when they don't sedate him."

"How's Kate?" His mother had met her briefly when she visited his home and was automatically taken with her.

"She's doing okay. We're both running a little thin but she's been a trooper."

"Mothers have that ability. Have you told her about Oliver's father yet?"

"No."

"Have you told her you love her yet?"

"No mom it's not like that."

"Kiba what is holding you back? It's so obvious that you love them."

"Because I'm just like him mom and because of that I'll hurt them. I look like him, I act like him, a part of me will always be him." Kiba said with bitterness.

"Have you been harboring that all these years? Is that why you've never settled down?" His mother asked shocked. "Son you could not be further from the truth." He heard his mother sigh. "Your father wasn't a good man. You are intelligent, kind, loving, and the amount of mental strength you possess is amazing. You have more of me in you than I ever thought possible. You're not the type to leave when things get rough. You have always been the one to tough it out when everyone else gave up. You have always cared deeply for the people you hold close and you have never once walked away from them no matter how rough things got between you. Remember the time you and Shino had that big fight in high school? You could have given up on him and stopped being his friend but you realized all those years of friendship would be wasted so you two worked it out and now you're partners. Kiba with one hundred percent certainty you are not nor will you ever be like your father."

Kiba had teared up hearing after years the things he needed to hear. He had spent so much time trying not to get close to others because he was worried he'd end up hurting them when he left but his mom was right and he was finally seeing it. His voice broke as he spoke. "Thanks mom. I love you."

"I love you too baby boy." She replied. "But I think you need to let her know about Oliver's father before you tell her. She may not care about him anymore romantically but it's going to affect Oliver in the long run."

"I know mom but she's been so caught up in Oliver getting better I didn't want to throw more stuff on her."

After they ended the call Kiba returned to Kate's side. He took his usual position in the chair with her in his lap.

"They think he might wake for a bit soon. He might even be able to stay awake."

"That's awesome babe" Kiba replied. "We need to talk right quick."

As he said that they heard a groan and they both jumped up to be at Oliver's side. As usual they could tell he was in pain but he was coherent.

"Mom?" Oliver looked around. "Where am I?"

"The hospital sweetie, you were in a car accident. Me and Kiba have been here the whole time."

"Kiba." Oliver said looking at him. "You'll protect me right?"

"Yeah buddy always." Kiba was holding his other hand loosely.

"I don't want to go back with my dad." Oliver said as his lip started to quiver. "He's not a good guy. He had another kid there. There was another kid in the car, Chad. We were on our way to the airport. Dad said we were going far away on an adventure but I told him I didn't want to go and he was going to make me anyway."

"Hey, hey, it's okay buddy. Don't worry about that now. We're here and he's not taking you anywhere. In fact he's going away where he can't hurt you okay?"

"Okay" Oliver said drifting off.

Kiba knew he should have told Kate before now. She walked outside his room and waited for Kiba.


	23. Chapter 22

"What do you know?!" She said in a forced whisper.

"Kate I was going to tell you but Tony is part of a kidnapping ring. Those kids that have been going missing were apparently being sold to the black market but they've recovered most of the kids."

"You knew. You knew and you didn't tell me?"

"Kate I was going to tell you." Kiba didn't understand why she was so upset.

"Leave." She said darkly. "Now."

"Babe? What's wrong?"

"I can't believe you would keep this information from me. You knew, probably from the beginning huh? Were we a case for you? Was everything a lie? Did you know before Oliver went to his father's and you just didn't tell me? Or before you slept with me? God I was such an easy fuck for you wasn't I? Well you know what you can go and don't come back."

"Kate it's not like that, you misunderstood." Kiba kept trying but she stopped him.

"If you come near me or my son again I'll call security." Kate said with venom in her tone.

Kiba tried again but she entered Oliver's room effectively ending the conversation and effectively breaking his heart.

He went home sending the message for an SOS. He was going out with the guys for a night Hokage's orders. He was going to drink them away.

Kate was livid. He knew the whole time that Tony had been scum. He was probably on an undercover mission for the police and was trying to find a way to get close to Tony. They had used her son as bait and now her son was hurt. She couldn't believe she had almost fell for it. If Kiba would have kept it to himself she would have never known. He only told her because his guilt had finally caught up with him and he was going to let her down easy tell her it was all for the charade. There was no easy not with how in love she was with him. She felt like he shattered her heart. Used her and Oliver for some police business and then he was going to throw her away. She wanted to scream and cry but knew she couldn't. Not while she was at Oliver's side. That's okay though, they'd go back to just them. It would be alright.


	24. Chapter 23

Kiba was plastered by the end of the night and everyone had taken a break to be there for him.

"Did you tell her that you just found out?" Naruto asked.

"I couldn't, she wouldn't let me." Kiba slurred. "She just made the jump that I knew all along."

"Give her some time. She'll come around." Shikamaru added.

"I'm sure she's overwhelmed right now." Shino said from his right side. "There's a lot going on."

From there everyone added their opinion on the matter. He couldn't bear to go home because his apartment was no longer home. His home was upstairs from his apartment in her arms and with Oliver down the hall. Maybe his mom was wrong after all because he felt like he deserved everything he was getting for ever hurting Kate and he had definitely hurt her. He had read it on her face as she told him to leave. He had broken her heart. Kiba stumbled to his apartment around 1 am and found a box outside his door with a few of his shirts that he had left at her house and other assorted things that were his waiting for him. Shikamaru helped him move the box inside and then helped him to the bathroom where he proceeded to throw up. After he was finished he broke down and began crying. He had lost her. Shikamaru stayed long enough to get him to calm down and get him to bed and then Kiba told him to leave. After Shikamaru left Kiba cried for losing not only her but Oliver as well. He checked his phone and there were no messages from anyone other than the group where the women wanted to know how he was doing. He typed out a quick okay and then passed out.

Kate had gone home because she needed to cry. Her mother had stopped in with Oliver and Kate went home to take care of a few things but mostly because she needed to cry over Kiba. When she got home she went to her room and noticed some of his clothes were there from their nights spent together and she put them in a box and dropped them in front of his door knocking before leaving. She heard akamaru whine but didn't hear any movement. She walked back down the stairs later and saw the box still sitting there. He must have gone to work she thought bitterly. Everything had been lies. Sure he had a bullet wound and a broken arm but maybe that just set everything up for him to get into her life. Doubt started nagging at her but she pushed it back. It was better this way. She went back to Oliver and continued to stay by his side. A couple days later they were told he would be able to go home the next day.


	25. Chapter 24

When they arrived home the box was gone from Kiba's doorstep. Oliver asked if he could visit with Kiba and had asked for him several times during the rest of his stay and each time she made an excuse.

Kiba had gone back to putting in as much work time as possible. He worked until late in the night on paperwork before heading home. He no longer saw the suspicious car outside the apartment and breathed a sigh of relief for that. A few nights ago he thought he saw the car outside his work but akamaru didn't seem on alert so he wrote it off. The next day when he went in he decided to give akamaru a break and dropped him off with his mother. He needed more alone time. He was hurting being that close to them but unable to see them. So he was gonna work until he was too tired to think then he was going to drink himself to sleep and wake up and do it again the next day. There was still more paperwork for the kidnapping case and they had gotten all but one child back but believed the child was still in the city.

Kate heard the knock on her door as she was washing dishes and her heart beat wildly at the thought that it might be Kiba.

"Kate?" A detective flashed his badge and she recognized him as one of Kiba's friends. "I've met you a few times but I don't always make it to the dinners. I'm detective Uchiha. I wanted to ask you a few questions and get a statement."

"I figured officer Inuzuka would have given you guys everything." She said bitterly.

"I'm sorry? Did they have him take a statement?" Sasuke asked confused.

"No but he was undercover wasn't he? I mean he knew about Tony and used my kid for bait. Let me guess you were in on it too?" She said with venom in her tone.

Sasuke put his hands up defensively. "We would never have used your son as bait. And Kiba was never undercover. He didn't find out about Tony or pretty much many details from the case until his captain talked to him at the hospital. I'm not sure where you got the idea that he or any of us for that matter knew about this before Tony wrecked his car with one of the missing children inside. That tore the case wide open until then we hadn't been able to get anyone but lower guys on the totem pole."

Kate's world bottomed out and she pushed past Sasuke. "Oh my god. Stay with Oliver for a few seconds I gotta talk to him." She didn't wait for an answer and went down to bang on Kiba's door. She heard nothing she raced back upstairs for her phone.

"He's at work." Sasuke said quietly. "He's been working himself dead for the past couple weeks."

"I'm so sorry. I was just so sure he knew all along." She said tearing up.

"I still need a statement, let me get that and then you can call him. I'll even give you his desk number."

She answered all Sasuke's questions distractedly and Oliver was even able to answer some. When Sasuke was done as promised he supplied her with Kiba's number.

She was torn on whether to call or not when she heard her son speak softly. "I miss Kiba."

"I do too baby." She replied. "I'm gonna make a phone call baby go play okay?"

Oliver nodded and she dialed.

"Officer Inuzuka" he answered brusquely.

"Kiba, don't hang up." She said quickly.

"Kate." He sounded tired.

"I just spoke to Sasuke and I understand now. I'm sorry Kiba."

"I can't talk right now Kate. I'm really busy with work."

"Kiba please listen. I know the truth."

"I can't. Goodbye Kate." And with that he clicked off.

She wanted to be angry but she knew it was her fault. She would wait for him to get home and corner him.

Kiba was exhausted as he left the building. He slowly made his way to his car thinking about Kate. She had reached out and he had stupidly shut her out. He didn't want to listen. They were better without him. No matter what his mom said. He heard a car approach but didn't really think until he was pulled into the car and a gun was placed to the back of his head. They drove for several minutes until they came to an alleyway. "This is for Ricky and now Tony too." With that several large men began to beat him. He fought back but was over powered quickly when they held him. He was hit and kicked several times. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the car that had been following him and the license plate. He finally had it and he blacked out.

Kate paced the floor. It was 1am and Kiba hadn't shown up. She had sent him a text asking if he was okay but had gotten no reply. Sure he was mad at her but he wouldn't be so cruel to leave her worried about him. That wasn't the type of guy he was. At 2 am she was on the verge of driving to the station to make sure he was okay when she got a call from Ino. "Have you spoken to or seen Kiba?" Ino asked.

"No. And he's not home, at least his car isn't here. Is everything okay?"

"No one can get a hold of him. His car is at the station and he had told some people he was leaving for the night. His mom called one of us to ask because he hadn't called to check on akamaru."

"I'm coming to help look for him."

"No. You stay with Oliver. You can't drag him out in the cold. It's freezing outside."

"Ino I love him." She said with her voice breaking.

"I know Hun. We'll find him and I'll call you when we do."

Kate was a nervous wreck.


	26. Chapter 25

Kiba realized he was cold but couldn't figure why his bed was so uncomfortable and his room was so cold. He tried to open his eyes and move but he hurt everywhere. When he realized his eyes were swollen he remembered the guys beating him up. Kiba tried to move but his body was really still from the freezing temperatures. He wasn't sure how long he had been out there just that he could no longer feel his limbs. He slowly managed to get to a sitting position and leaned back into the alleys wall. He reached in his pocket and found his phone. The screen was cracked but he was still able to use it. He couldn't dial anyone but he was able to get the group chat. He quickly put on the share location which notified the whole group where he was and then passed out again.

The next time Kiba woke he was still cold but less so. But everything was incredibly bright. He tried to move and realized he was attached to several things and his arm was back in a cast. He was in the hospital and he was in major pain. He could hear someone crying next to him but he couldn't wrap his mind around who it was. He tried to move and groaned loudly and the person came into vision. Kate. She was red eyed and stood staring at him as if he might disappear before her eyes.

"Kiba. I'm so sorry." Kate began. "I jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't have these last few weeks without you have been the worst. I know I always say I don't need a hero or your help but being without you has shown me different. I didn't realize how much I needed you and your support until it went away. I'm so sorry. Kiba I love you and I want another chance." She said holding his hand and then smoothing his hair back and kissing his forehead.

"I love you too." He whispered out but it hurt too much to speak so he started to drift off back to sleep still holding her hand.

The next time he woke his friends were there with him minus Ino who was apparently watching Oliver for Kate. He spoke to them briefly and shared the license plate number with the detectives in the group, who were able to catch the guys quickly and he felt relieved that they wouldn't be back for him.

And he continued to hold Kate's hand through everything.

On day three he went home to Kate's house this time. Oliver was waiting for him with his crutches looking much better. Kate set both boys up on the couch and Kiba signed Oliver's cast and drew a dog on it and then Oliver signed his with a smiley face and Kiba loved it. Kiba laid down on the couch and Oliver laid next to him and Kiba cuddled him close not caring about the pain. "Love you buddy." He kissed Oliver's hair and the both dozed off to take a nap.

Kate realized it had got quiet and walked around the couch to find both boys passed out. Kiba had his arm under Oliver's head who was snugly against Kiba's side sleeping peacefully. She loved them both so much.

The next couple weeks went by in a blur and she and Kiba were getting a schedule but him and akamaru spent most nights at her place in her bed and she loved waking up next to him.

3 months later baseball season had started and they were constantly attending Nates games. They had rebuilt most of Nates car but Kiba offered to pay to have the last few things fixed if Nate kept his grades up and graduated toward the top of his class. She and Kiba had been through a lot with Oliver because he was having night terrors and was having to go through physical therapy as well as counseling for PTSD from the car accident. Kiba would wake with Oliver when he would have nightmares and slept in Oliver's bed with him during those nights. Oliver just felt safer with Kiba around and she did too. On their 3 month anniversary Kiba took her out to somewhere nice for dinner and knelt on one knee and asked her to marry him.

"I know it's soon but I've never been surer of anything in my life." Kiba said with his hands shaking.

"Yes," Kate replied letting him put the ring on her equally shaking hands.

Oliver had approved and Kiba had actually asked him before he asked Kate. He had also asked all of her brothers who approved automatically with Nate being the most enthusiastic.

2 months later they were married and a couple weeks after that Kiba officially adopted Oliver who had long before started calling Kiba dad.


	27. Epilogue

One year later:

Kiba crawled quietly into bed. He had worked a late shift and didn't want to wake his wife and son who was asleep in the middle of the bed. He slipped under the covers and Oliver automatically curled into his side and he cuddled his son. "Love you daddy." Oliver said sleepily.

"Love you too buddy." He was about asleep when he heard a loud cry and moved to get up before his wife did.

"No I've got it." Kate said before he could really move. "Stay in bed."

Kate left the room for about 15 minutes and then he felt her climb on the other side of him placing Kiba in the middle as she placed her head on his chest.

"Is the baby okay?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah she was just hungry." Kate said yawning. "Sleep babe."

Kiba drifted off after stealing a kiss from Kate.

The next morning the family had to wake up early because they were making the trip to see Nate at college to help him move out of the dorms for the summer. He had graduated top of his class and Kiba had as promised fixed the whole car. Kiba had offered to help him find a better used car but Nate was attached to Bertha so he opted out of that. The next day Nate took them around campus showing them everything and having them meet all his friends before they really started moving out. Kiba had their baby daughter, Gabriella strapped to his chest the whole time until it was time to start moving things out. There wasn't too much stuff but not everything would fit in Nates car. After they had made the drive back to the city they relaxed in the apartment. They had begun looking for a house but so far were okay staying in the apartment. They were planning on having a few more kids so they would eventually need more room but for now. Everything was perfect. Nate had actually decided to go to school to be a psychologist profiler for the police to help put away criminals. He planned to work for the FBI eventually. However for the summer he was able to get an internship at the city police station. Kiba and Kate had made Nate promise he would be more than a city cop and worked diligently with him to help Nate keep his promise.

TA-DA! I hope you enjoyed. I know some of the chapters were shorter than others. Essentially I write the whole thing out and I have to break it up later. So forgive me if it's bad. I'd like some reviews, I actually have two other stories written up already with the new generation that are in the same universe. One is Bolt and Sarada's story, and the other is Gabriella, who is Kiba's daughter from this fic, and her story is with Shikadai. I also have a Kakashi and OC fic that I'm working as well but it's a different AU what can I say I got a thing for AUs. Anyway I love some feed back let me know what's up. Thanks for reading!


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